Diving into Daniel: Looking Ahead to the End Time
Daniel 11:36-45 - I submit my will and trust to the sovereign God, who knows the beginning and the end of all things.
““Then the king will do as he pleases, and he will exalt and magnify himself above every god and will speak monstrous things against the God of gods; and he will prosper until the indignation is finished, for that which is decreed will be done. He will show no regard for the gods of his fathers or for the desire of women, nor will he show regard for any other god; for he will magnify himself above them all. But instead he will honor a god of fortresses, a god whom his fathers did not know; he will honor him with gold, silver, costly stones and treasures. He will take action against the strongest of fortresses with the help of a foreign god; he will give great honor to those who acknowledge him and will cause them to rule over the many, and will parcel out land for a price.
“At the end time the king of the South will collide with him, and the king of the North will storm against him with chariots, with horsemen and with many ships; and he will enter countries, overflow them and pass through. He will also enter the Beautiful Land, and many countries will fall; but these will be rescued out of his hand: Edom, Moab and the foremost of the sons of Ammon. Then he will stretch out his hand against other countries, and the land of Egypt will not escape. But he will gain control over the hidden treasures of gold and silver and over all the precious things of Egypt; and Libyans and Ethiopians will follow at his heels. But rumors from the East and from the North will disturb him, and he will go forth with great wrath to destroy and annihilate many. 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.”
Daniel 11:36-45 NASB1995
Commentary is divided when we reach this point in Daniel 11. Most of the conservative Biblical commentators that I rely on for their analysis believe that this last passage of prophecy in Daniel 11, continuing into Daniel 12, is describing future events in the end times (which may or may not be in our time). Of course, the more liberal faction does not believe that Daniel was written several hundred years before the events that took place, but that it was accurate up to a point recording actual history but fell apart on future events near that time, not in the future. I think I’ll go with the same viewpoint that I have used for all of these devotionals for Daniel, relying on Precept Austin and Enduring Word. This is an end times prophecy.
I also decided to keep this block of verses together instead of parsing them into smaller, more consumable “bites” of information. Grab your coffee - this will also be a long devotional. Let’s look at some commentaries from Precept Austin on the passage in general and verse 36 specifically:
David Guzik …Here we shift from what was fulfilled in the Ptolemies and the Seleucids to what will be fulfilled in the Antichrist, the final world dictator. Daniel was told that this revelation pertained to the latter days (Da 10:14-note), and Da 11:36 begins to look more towards this final world dictator, who is sort of a "last days Antiochus Epiphanes." We know that everything about this prophecy was not fulfilled during the career of Antiochus Epiphanes. Jesus specifically said the real abomination of desolation was still in the future (Matthew 24:15). (Daniel 11 Commentary)
Daniel Akin has a good summary - First, the antichrist is a self-willed man. He “will do whatever he wants.” He is egomaniacal. Second, “he will exalt and magnify himself above every god.” He sees himself as a divine man. Third, “he will say outrageous things against the God of gods.” He is a gross blasphemer. Fourth, “he will be successful until the time of wrath [God’s judgment] is completed” (ESV, “accomplished”). This is a signed and settled reality “because what has been decreed [by God] will be accomplished.”
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Gleason Archer writes that "This present section (Da 11:36, 37, 38, 39) contains some features that hardly apply to Antiochus IV, though most of the details could apply to him as well as to his latter-day antitype, “the beast.” Both liberal and conservative scholars agree that all of chapter 11 up to this point contains strikingly accurate predictions of the whole sweep of events from the reign of Cyrus (during which Daniel brought his career to a close Da 1:21-note) to the unsuccessful effort of Antiochus Epiphanes to stamp out the Jewish faith. But the two schools of thought radically differ in the explanation for this phenomenon. Evangelicals find this pattern of prediction and fulfillment compelling evidence of the divine inspiration and authority of the Hebrew Scriptures, since only God could possibly foreknow the future and see to it that his announced plan would be precisely fulfilled. (The Expositor's Bible Commentary).
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Guzik rightly observes that this description is not perfectly fulfilled in Antiochus Epiphanes and thus is additional support that the description of the the king which begins in Da 11:36 points to another king, one yet future…"Antiochus Epiphanes certainly did this in the general sense that all sinners oppose God. Yet he remained loyal to the Greek religious tradition, which revered the entire Olympian pantheon. Antiochus Epiphanes put a statue of Zeus in the temple, not of himself. This will be far more precisely fulfilled in the Antichrist, who sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. (2Th 2:4+, cf Rev 13:15, 16+)." (Daniel 11 Commentary)
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Indignation is defined as (extreme) anger (mingled with contempt, disgust, abhorrence) aroused by something unjust, unworthy, or mean. The 1828 Webster's defines indignation as "The anger of a superior; extreme anger; particularly, the wrath of God against sinful men for their ingratitude and rebellion. The effects of anger; the dreadful effects of God’s wrath; terrible judgments."
Until the indignation is finished - "Until" is an expression of time which indicates that the Antichrist will prosper for a time but that his seemingly indomitable kingdom will come to an abrupt end when the indignation is finished.
So what is the indignation? In the present context, the indignation speaks of God's wrath which will be poured out on the nation of Israel during the last 3.5 years of the Seventieth Week of Daniel, the Great Tribulation.
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Dr John Walvoord sums up this verse noting that…Beginning with verse 36, a sharp break in the prophecy may be observed, introduced by the expression the time of the end in verse 35. Up to this point, the prophecy dealing with the Persian and Grecian Empires has been fulfilled minutely and with amazing precision. Beginning with verse 36, however, an entirely different situation obtains. No commentator claims to find precise fulfillment in the remainder of this chapter. Although Zöckler and others attempt to relate Daniel 11:36-45 to Antiochus (Antiochus IV Epiphanes), many students of Scripture have recognized from antiquity that another king must be in view (Ed: Even if they did not necessarily identify him as the Antichrist). Ibn Ezra, for example, identified this king with Constantine the Great; Rashi and Calvin referred him to the Roman Empire as a whole; and Jerome, Theodoret, and Luther, among others, identified him with the New Testament Antichrist. (Daniel 11 World History From Darius To The Time Of The End)
The indignation is apparently the Great Tribulation. Antiochus IV Epiphanes does not match many of these actions because he actually paid tribute to pagan gods and placed a statue of Zeus in the temple, not a statue of himself. This guy in these verses is 100% self-absorbed and maniacally egotistical, worshipping himself. In this day and age of “follow your bliss” and self-esteem psychoanalysis, a leader like this could come from anywhere.
I’m repeating the next verses in this passage, so that you don’t have scroll up to the top:
He will show no regard for the gods of his fathers or for the desire of women, nor will he show regard for any other god; for he will magnify himself above them all. But instead he will honor a god of fortresses, a god whom his fathers did not know; he will honor him with gold, silver, costly stones and treasures. He will take action against the strongest of fortresses with the help of a foreign god; he will give great honor to those who acknowledge him and will cause them to rule over the many, and will parcel out land for a price.
So our “king” will not hold any regard for the gods of his fathers or for the desire of women, or show regard for any other god. He will, however, honor a god of fortresses, a god whom his fathers did not know. He will use the help of a foreign god to take action against the strongest of fortresses and will honor those who acknowledge him. He will cause them to rule over the many and will parcel out land for a price.
From Precept Austin:
The gods of his fathers - "Gods" is the Hebrew word Elohim and thus one could also translate this passage as "The God of his fathers", which has led some to suggest that the Antichrist is Jewish. E.g., we see this phrase in the description of Amon, the son of Manasseh, the writer recording that Amon…
forsook the LORD, the God of his fathers, and did not walk in the way of the LORD. (2Ki 21:22)
Most commentators feel this phrase signifies that the Antichrist simply rejects the religion practiced by his parents without specifying the religion.
The desire of women - This phrase has also led some to favor a Jewish origin for the Antichrist because Jewish women often expressed the desire to be the mother of the Messiah (cf Hag 2:7KJV which uses "desire" to refer to Messiah). Certainly the Antichrist (anti = against or instead of) will show no regard for Christ (cf 1Jn 2:22) and will magnify himself above Christ.
Some commentators interpret this phrase as signifying Antichrist has no desire for women (some even saying this suggests he is of homosexual orientation) and/or that he is virtually devoid of natural affection.
Will magnify himself above them all (cf 2Th 2:3,4) - Ultimately the Antichrist will demand that all the earth’s inhabitants worship him above God or even so-called gods (Rev 13:12-note, Rev 13:14-note, Rev 13:15-note). The Lxx for magnify is megaluno = to cause to be held in greater esteem through praise or deeds -- exalt, glorify, magnify, speak highly of.
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A god of fortresses (Heb = ma'oz = strongholds, place or means of safety) - This phrase refers to Antichrist's honoring of military strength, might or power. What a marked contrast with believers who see the Almighty as their stronghold, refuge, strength or place of safety (Nah 1:7, 2Sa 22:33, Neh 8:10 = strength, Isa 25:4 = defense, Pr 10:29, Ps 28:8 = defense, Ps 31:2 = strength, Ps 43:2). The Antichrist's honoring of a false god as his strength reminds one of the words of the Psalmist…
Behold, the man who would not make God his refuge, but trusted in the abundance of his riches, and was strong in his evil desire. (Ps 52:7)
Keil comments that…The god of fortresses is the personification of war, and the thought is this: he will regard no other god, but only war; the taking of fortresses he will make his god; and he will worship this god above all as the means of his gaining the world-power.
His fathers - This phrase is used about 70x in Bible and almost every time refers to Jewish ancestral line. While one cannot be dogmatic as discussed above, this phrase could suggest that the Antichrist has a Jewish ancestry. This line of reasoning would also be consistent with the idea of "anti" = instead of. Thus the "counterfeit Christ" the one who is "instead of" the True Christ might logically be expected to be Jewish thus fulfilling OT prophecies that the Messiah (Christ) would be of this line.
He will honor him - Antichrist will fortify the god of fortresses by providing a generous "budget" for a military arsenal, even as if it were an "offering" to this personified deity! That Antichrist honors a "god of fortresses" is seem by his continual engagement in war -- Da 11:40, 42, 43, 44, 45; Da 7:8, Da 7:24 Rev 13:4; Rev 16:13, 14, 15, 16).
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He will give great honor to those who acknowledge him - Antichrist will reward (? bribe) those who worship/honor/express loyalty to him, even as Antiochus had done in a foreshadowing action (Da 11:24 "he will distribute plunder, booty and possessions among them"). So just as with the despicable Antiochus Epiphanes, Antichrist has those who will acknowledge him (apostatize) and come over to his side, in essence "selling their soul" in order to get favors from him. In fact, Revelation 13 says that
And he (the second beast or False Prophet) causes all, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free men and the slaves, to be given a mark on their right hand, or on their forehead, and he provides that no one should be able to buy or to sell, except the one who has the mark, either the name of the beast or the number of his name. (Rev 13:16-note, Rev 13:17-note; See their horrible everlasting destiny = Rev 14:9-note, Rev 14:10-note, Rev 14:11-note = the cost of "selling one's soul"! cf Mt 10:28)
[Kenneth] Gangel adds that…The ultimate politicians, both Antiochus and Antichrist know how to manipulate people by rewards (make them rulers) and political payoffs (distribute the land at a price). (See Holman Old Testament Commentary - Daniel)
WOW!! If I didn’t know any better, this guy sounds exactly like a certain unemployed Austrian-born WWI vet, cynic (and would-be artist) who decided to get into geopolitics with his collection of bitter and rabidly antisemitic friends looking for ultimate power and payoffs. I would bet that faithful, Bible-reading believers in the 1930s/1940s were wondering quite often about the end times. Speaking of Hitler, I just read a fascinating article on Crossway that has a unique perspective that is worth contemplating.
There is speculation about the antichrist being Jewish, because of his rejection of the god of his fathers and also speculation about what it means to not desire women. I think this guy will be so wrapped up in his hegemony that he won’t care about desires and pleasures or beliefs of any kind, but will only wants power and control and will achieve this through war and the funding of huge arsenals. He will honor those who side with him against everything they might have once believed in because they will get their own power and land.
Once again, repeating the next (and final) verses from Daniel 11 from above:
“At the end time the king of the South will collide with him, and the king of the North will storm against him with chariots, with horsemen and with many ships; and he will enter countries, overflow them and pass through. He will also enter the Beautiful Land, and many countries will fall; but these will be rescued out of his hand: Edom, Moab and the foremost of the sons of Ammon. Then he will stretch out his hand against other countries, and the land of Egypt will not escape. But he will gain control over the hidden treasures of gold and silver and over all the precious things of Egypt; and Libyans and Ethiopians will follow at his heels. But rumors from the East and from the North will disturb him, and he will go forth with great wrath to destroy and annihilate many. 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.”
This is intended to describe what appears to be a great war that is centered around the Holy Land (the “beautiful land” is not the church, but is a clear reference to Israel and I agree with Precept Austin and other commentators on that point). The reader should notice that both the King of the North and of the South are referred to here, so this is obviously not Antiochus IV Epiphanes. At the end, after much land and treasure is taken, the antichrist is defeated and no one will come to his aid.
A few more nuggets from Precept Austin:
The king of the North - Who is the King of the North? Commentators speculate that this might be Russia, but I think one cannot be dogmatic…. One gains little by attempting to speculate too much on the exact meaning of some the clearly future events described in Da 11:40-45. I agree with Kenneth Gangel who says "If the angel intends to stay with his imagery from the beginning, the Antichrist may find himself battling Egypt and Syria. But one arriving at such a conclusion with any amount of dogmatism does so only to his or her peril." (See Holman Old Testament Commentary - Daniel)
He will enter countries, overflow them and pass through - Like a flood flows through the land, this metaphor pictures his military might as overwhelming the enemies. As to who the "he" is in this passage, there is some disagreement, but the context would still seem to favor that this pronoun refers to the Antichrist.
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The beautiful (tsebi/tsebiy) land is not the church but Israel, the land which God promised to His chosen people (cf God's unconditional, unbreakable promise in Ge 15:18, 19, 20, 21), as recorded in Ezekiel where God says "on that day (Read Ezek 20:4) I swore to them, to bring them out from the land of Egypt into a land that I had selected for them, flowing with milk and honey, which is the glory (tsebiy) of all lands." (Ezekiel 20:6)
Why do I say the reference is not to the church? Because there are comments like those of Jeske who writes "In New Testament terms, the Holy Christian church is the “Beautiful Land” where the triune God resides with all his grace and his favor." (The People's Bible: Daniel).
Edom, Moab… Ammon - These countries will be spared from the wrath of the Antichrist. Why? We cannot state with certainty therefore it is useless to speculate.
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Stretch out his hand against other countries - The hand is repeatedly used as a metaphor symbolizing power or might, indicating the Antichrist will wield his dominant power against countries such as Egypt.
The land of Egypt - The fact that Egypt is specifically named suggests that this indeed refers to literal Egypt, which is not a powerful nation in our time but will achieve some degree of power in the future.
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He will go forth with great wrath - While the Antichrist is dominating North Africa, he is made aware of these rumors which cause him to go back into the beautiful land in a state of great rage.
Destroy (08045) (shamad) is a verb meaning "be destroyed, decimated, perished, overthrown, exterminated, i.e., pertaining to being in a totally ruined state, which can include death of a person or extinction of an entity." (Swanson) The destruction depicted by shaman usually involves a rather sudden catastrophe such as warfare or a mass killing. For example in Dt 6:15 God says He will "wipe" Israel off the face of the earth, so great was His anger against them! It is worth noting that the last OT use of shamad is one of the greatest for the nation of Israel, the prophet Zechariah recording "And in that day (WHAT DAY - Read Zechariah 12:1-14+) I (JEHOVAH/YAHWEH HIMSELF) will set about to destroy all (HOW MANY?) the nations that come against Jerusalem." (Zechariah 12:9+) Anti-Semitism will be obliterated! The prophet Isaiah gives a prophecy that should startle every person who is not a believer in the Messiah - "Behold, the day of the LORD is coming, Cruel, with fury and burning anger, To make the land a desolation; And He will exterminate its sinners from it." (Isa. 13:9+).
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He will pitch the tents of his royal pavilion - He is the Antichrist. While the exact meaning is uncertain, this event may correspond the the gathering of the armies at Armageddon. The apostle John records…
And they gathered them together to the place which in Hebrew is called Har-Magedon. (Rev 16:16-note) (See also the Campaign of Armageddon)
[Kenneth] Gangel observes that "Megiddo, mentioned twelve times in the Old Testament (Josh. 12:21; 17:11; Jdg 1:27; 5:19; 1Kgs. 4:12; 9:15; 2Kgs. 9:27; 23:29, 30; 1Chr. 7:29; 2Chr. 35:22; Zech 12:11), lies on a major highway connecting Egypt with Syria. No one can say with certainty that Daniel 11:45 and Revelation 16:16 indicate the exact geographical site of the final battle between good and evil, but no interpretation makes any better sense (Ed note: Gangel like many identifies Armageddon as a "battle" when it is more accurately a campaign or a war - see Campaign of Armageddon). Daniel's angel seems to say that the great world leader finds his final defeat right there (See Holman Old Testament Commentary - Daniel)
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The end of Antichrist is described in multiple passages…
Then I kept looking because of the sound of the boastful words which the (Little) horn (the Antichrist) was speaking; I kept looking until the beast (the Antichrist) was slain, and its body was destroyed and given to the burning fire. (Da 7:11)
“I kept looking, and that horn was waging war with the saints and overpowering them 22 until the Ancient of Days came and judgment was passed in favor of the saints of the Highest One, and the time arrived when the saints took possession of the kingdom. (Da 7:21-22)
‘But the court will sit for judgment, and his dominion will be taken away, annihilated and destroyed forever. (Da 7:26)
And then that lawless one (the Antichrist) will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming (as described in Rev 19:11-20+) (2Th 2:8+)
And I saw the beast (the Antichrist) and the kings of the earth and their armies assembled to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army. And the beast (the Antichrist) was seized, and with him the false prophet (Beast #2, "another beast" of Revelation 13 - Re 13:11, 12, 13, 14+) who performed the signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image; these two were thrown alive into the lake of fire which burns with brimstone. (Rev 19:19+, Rev 19:20-+ including discussion of the "Lake of Fire").
Whew!!! This is a lot to absorb; eschatology is always challenging. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again - I will live out my days (or the days until the events begin in this prophecy, if that comes before my passing) studying God’s word, praying urgent intercessory prayers, supporting a good Bible-believing church, working in mission for His kingdom on Earth, and maintaining a sense of readiness. These events WILL happen but it doesn’t do me any good to lie awake at night trying to figure out the “tea leaves”. I leave it in His hands.
Well, I’m finally done with Daniel 11; I never thought I could learn so much about history, which was so accurately predicted in Daniel. The accuracy of that prediction means that the future events are also accurate.
My next devotional examines Daniel 12:1-4 - The end times prophecy continues; Daniel is told to seal up the book.
Heaven on Wheels Daily Prayer:
Dear Lord - You gave this prophecy to Daniel and repeated many aspects of it to John. Learning about prophecy and the end times, while serving You, has been so valuable! I pray that I am enlightened further in Daniel 12. Amen.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Precept Austin was accessed on 6/10/2025 to review commentary for Daniel 11:36-45.