This is an exhausting study! These notes are my understanding of the historical and prophetical applications of many of the verses in Daniel 11. I could be wrong on some of my interpretation, but I hope that you will get some edification from it. The Blue text is historical- before and during the time of Christ- and the Red text is prophetical- already happened in recent history or will happen in the future.
Before the 1900's, it was a universal belief that God was through with Israel. However, during the twentieth century that all changed. The Jews began returning to Zion.
After World War II, they were granted five thousand square miles in the land of Palestine. Then in 1948, they became a nation once again. Not since the Babylonian invasion of 606 BC had Israel enjoyed full independence as a nation.
It was a New Testament Prophecy being fulfilled.
Matthew 24:32-33- Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.
"How is that prophecy about Israel?" you may ask. Because Israel is God's fig tree.
Hosea 9:10a- I found Israel like grapes in the wilderness; I saw your fathers as the firstripe in the fig tree at her first time:
The nation that appeared to be desolate was again planted, and in 1948, it put forth leaves as it became, once again, a nation. Since this time it has been opposed viciously by the Arab and surrounding nations.
This was all prophesied long ago in the Old Testament. But anyone who studies the Bible will know that history is also prophecy.
Daniel 11:1-4- Also I in the first year of Darius the Mede, even I, stood to confirm and to strengthen him. And now will I shew thee the truth. Behold, there shall stand up yet three kings in Persia; and the fourth shall be far richer than they all: and by his strength through his riches he shall stir up all against the realm of Grecia. And a mighty king shall stand up, that shall rule with great dominion, and do according to his will. And when he shall stand up, his kingdom shall be broken, and shall be divided toward the four winds of heaven; and not to his posterity, nor according to his dominion which he ruled: for his kingdom shall be plucked up, even for others beside those.
Historically this was Alexander the Great. Following Alexander's death in Babylon in 323 BC, the succession of his kingdom was divided among his four generals: Ptolemy, Cassander, Seleucus, and Antigonus.
In the year A.D. 600, the world was divided between two superpower groups, the eastern Roman Empire and the Persian Empire. The Arabs were then the despised and backward inhabitants of the Arabian Peninsula. They consisted chiefly of wandering tribes, and had no government, no constitution, and no army.The "Prophet" Mohammed preached in Arabia from A.D. 613 to 632, when he died. In AD 633, the Arabs burst out of their desert peninsula, and simultaneously attacked the two super-powers. Within twenty years, the Persian Empire had ceased to exist. Seventy years after the death of the "Prophet", the Arabs had established an empire extending from the Atlantic to the plains of Northern India and the frontiers of China.
The Fate of Empires - Sir John Glubb
The Ottoman Empire controlled most of the area of the middle east from the14th century to the early 20th Century. It ended with the Arab revolt in 1916 which resulted in the formation of Saudi Arabia in 1932,and the Sykes-Picot Agreement, a secret 1916 agreement between Great Britain and France, with Russia, allocating the region between the three counties; to Britain control of areas between the Mediterranean Sea and the River Jordan, Jordan, and southern Iraq; France got control of southeastern Turkey, northern Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon; and Russia received Istanbul, the Turkish Straits, and Armenia.
Daniel 11:5-6- And the king of the south shall be strong, and one of his princes; and he shall be strong above him, and have dominion; his dominion shall be a great dominion. And in the end of years they shall join themselves together; for the king's daughter of the south shall come to the king of the north to make an agreement: but she shall not retain the power of the arm; neither shall he stand, nor his arm: but she shall be given up, and they that brought her, and he that begat her, and he that strengthened her in these times.
Historically this is Seleucus of Syria and Ptolemy of Egypt, both lasting well over 300 years.
Ptolemy I Soter declared himself as Pharaoh. Ptolemy II Philadelphus' (second ruler of the South) tried to seal peace by sending his daughter, Berenice Phernophorus, to marry Antiochus.
Seleucus I Nicator took over Asia Minor, Syria, Mesopotamia, parts of Iran, and Babylon. Antiochus II Theos (second ruler of the North) marries Bernice, Ptolemy's daughter, in an attempt to form a peace agreement. After his death, she and her son were killed by Antiochus' first wife, which prompted Ptolemy III Euergetes invasion of Syria.
In 1948, the Palestinian Arabs were considered a people without a country, leadership, organization, or military. The Palestinian Liberation Organization was formed in Cairo, Egypt, in 1964 from the Arab League which is said to have represented the Palestinian people. It is possible that the PLO is the King of the South and that Israel is the King of the North.
In the wake of the 1948 War, Arabs in Egypt, Transjordan, Syria, Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Lebanon all sent forces amounting to 70 to 80 thousand troops to defeat the Israeli army. Despite their numbers, Israel successfully fought them off. The Rabat Summit of 1974 declared the PLO the sole representative of the Arabian Palestinians. The PLO’s first chairman was a former diplomat named Aḥmad Shuqayrī with close ties to Egypt. He held this position from 1964 to 1967. Next in line was Yahya Hamouda, from 1967 to 1969. Over the decades the PLO’s membership has varied as its constituent bodies have disagreed internally.
Daniel 11:7-8- But out of a branch of her roots shall one stand up in his estate, which shall come with an army, and shall enter into the fortress of the king of the north, and shall deal against them, and shall prevail: And shall also carry captives into Egypt their gods, with their princes, and with their precious vessels of silver and of gold; and he shall continue more years than the king of the north.
Ptolemy III Euergetes (third ruler of the South) marched triumphantly into the heart of the Seleucid realm, as far as Babylonia (Iraq), while his fleets in the Aegean Sea made fresh conquests as far north as Thrace (Greece). In exchange for Peace, Ptolemy was offered territory on the Northern coast of Syria. His rule became the greatest in the region, and also was the height of the Ptolemaic Empire.
Seleucus II Callinicus (fourth ruler of the North) only reigned for 21 years. His reign had many battles and saw the fragmentation of the Seleucid region. His son, Seleucus III Ceraunus (fifth ruler of the North) didn't do much better. He only reigned two years and was assassinated.
In 1959, Yasser Arafat and Khalil Al-Wazir co-founded Fatah, a paramilitary organisation seeking the removal of Israel and its replacement with a Palestinian state. Throughout 1968, Fatah and other Palestinian armed groups fought with the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) by means of guerrilla raids. Fatah took control of the PLO around 1968.
Fatah and the Jordanian army joined forces to fight off the IDF causing them to retreat. By 1970, the Jordanian army and Fatah had decimated Jordan with infighting, which resulted in a high death toll of Palestinians. Fatah retreated to Southern Lebanon. The Jordanian army was finally defeated in 1971, forcing Yasser Arafat and other members of the Fatah to flee to Tunisia.
Khalil was assassinated in Tunisia in 1988, widowing his wife (who has been a part of the PLO old guard).
Yasser Arafat, a supposed Palestinian descendent born in either Cairo, Egypt or Jerusalem, and son of a member of the Muslim Brotherhood, was the third president of the PLO from 1969 until his death in 2004.
Daniel 11:9-10- So the king of the south shall come into his kingdom, and shall return into his own land. But his sons shall be stirred up, and shall assemble a multitude of great forces: and one shall certainly come, and overflow, and pass through: then shall he return, and be stirred up, even to his fortress.
Ptolemy IV Philopater (fourth ruler of the South) had his mother, Bernice, killed. He was not as powerful or savvy as his father. So, Antiochus III the Great (sixth ruler of the North) sought to regain what had been lost to the Ptolemaic Empire. While Antiochus III gained territory up in Asia Minor, Ptolemy IV Philopater's minister recruited and trained an army of Greek and Egyptian men with which Ptolemy IV engaged and defeated Antiochus III in one of the largest battles of the whole Hellenistic Age.
In 1965, the radical Palestinian Liberation Front began its own operations. This organization combined with the Youth of Vengeance and the Heroes of the Return in 1967 and renamed themselves the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. There was a lot of infighting and these groups eventually split again resulting in three separate distinct groups, but all of whom fight against Israel with the intent to destroy her completely and set up a Palestinian State.
Another group in the 1970's was the ACO, Arab Communist Organization, which specialized in bank robberies and terrorist bombing.
Another group in the 1970's was the ACO, Arab Communist Organization, which specialized in bank robberies and terrorist bombing.
The Palestinian National Front is another branch that acts solely on a political level- it is largely seen in Israel, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip.
Daniel 11:11-12- And the king of the south shall be moved with choler, and shall come forth and fight with him, even with the king of the north: and he shall set forth a great multitude; but the multitude shall be given into his hand. And when he hath taken away the multitude, his heart shall be lifted up; and he shall cast down many ten thousands: but he shall not be strengthened by it.
Ptolemy V Epiphanes (fifth ruler of the South) was a child when his father died. As he grew, different regents ruled in his stead, which destabilized the area. Antiochus III thought to take advantage of this and staged the second Macedonian War to gain territory in Asia Minor.
Ptolemy V Epiphanes married Cleopatra I, daughter of Antiochus III, a move which kept the peace for a few years.
In December 1993 PFLP withdrew from the PLO and became one of the ten founding members of the Damascus-based Alliance of Palestinian Forces, eight of which had been members of the PLO, which was opposed to the Oslo Accords process. At that time (1993–96) the popularity of Hamas was rapidly increasing in the wake of their successful strategy of suicide bombings. The PLO's agreement with Israel in September 1993, and negotiations which followed, further isolated it from the PFLP and led it to conclude a formal alliance with Iranian backed groups. The PFLP is very political in the Ramallah area, the eastern districts and suburbs of Jerusalem and Bethlehem, and is of little or no threat to the established Hamas and Fatah movements in Gaza.
Daniel 11:13- For the king of the north shall return, and shall set forth a multitude greater than the former, and shall certainly come after certain years with a great army and with much riches.
Ptolemy VI Philometor (sixth ruler of the South) along with his sister, Cleopatra II, and his brother, Ptolemy VIII Physcon, ruled together as teenagers. Their regents declared war on Antiochus IV Epiphanes (ninth ruler of the North).
Antiochus IV heard about their preparations for battle, and engaged the incoming army in the Sinai Peninsula. The Ptolemaic army quickly fell, and Antiochus IV laid camped near Alexandria, threatening siege.
Antiochus IV tried to take Ptolemy VI, his nephew, into his care. The new regents responded by claiming Ptolemy VIII Physcon was now ruler of Egypt.
The Roman Empire stepped in and ordered Antiochus IV to leave Egypt. Seeing as how he had recently lost a battle with the Roman Empire, he obeyed and withdrew his armies.
Israel's national intelligence agency, the Mossad, was initially formed in 1949. Since then it has had consistent conflict with the PLO and all it's organizations. Mossad is responsible for intelligence collection, covert operations, and counter-terrorism. The largest department of Mossad is Collections, tasked with many aspects of conducting espionage overseas. Different factions of Mossad cover espionage, assassination, and sabotage, to name a few. In fact, since World War II, it has claimed to have carried out at least 2,700 assassination missions. Recently, Mossad has opened a venture capital fund, in order to invest in hi-tech startups to develop new cyber technologies as well as started operations to destroy terrorist money networks.
Daniel 11:14- And in those times there shall many stand up against the king of the south: also the robbers of thy people shall exalt themselves to establish the vision; but they shall fall.
There was much infighting between the Ptolemy brothers. Ptolemy VI Philopator (sixth ruler of the South) killed much of the royal family. He dealt with rebellions by native Egyptians that took away over half the country for over 20 years. By supporting a series of rival claimants for the Seleucid throne, Ptolemy VI helped instigate a civil war in the Seleucid realm, which would continue for generations and eventually consume the Seleucid dynasty.
In the 1960s and the 1970s, Fatah (part of the PLO) provided training to a wide range of European, Middle Eastern, Asian, and African militant and insurgent groups, and carried out numerous attacks against Israeli targets in Western Europe and the Middle East during the 1970s.
Fatah began a training program in 1968 called Ashbals (Lions Club) where they began taking boys at the age of 8 and training them with political indoctrination. These boys are given military training in both weapon handling, guerrilla warfare, and sabotage techniques. These children are taught to die and kill without question for this cause.
Daniel 11:15- So the king of the north shall come, and cast up a mount, and take the most fenced cities: and the arms of the south shall not withstand, neither his chosen people, neither shall there be any strength to withstand.
Antiochus V Eupator (tenth ruler of North) was appointed king by the Roman Empire at nine years old. The Roman Empire was holding Demetrius, the rightful heir to the throne, as a hostage.
In the 1980's the PLO instituted Obligatory military service for all Palestinian men.This brought their forces up to an estimated 40,000. In 1982, the PLO held a large military parade in Beirut. Ariel Sharon launched an invasion called Operation Peace for Galilee because of a said 270 attacks by the PLO. The three-day massacre was supposed to eradicate the PLO, however many innocent civilians were killed.
Because of this attack, the PLO negotiated passage from Lebanon and relocated with the help of Syria to Tunis, Tunisia after it was driven out of Lebanon by Israel during the 1982 Lebanon War. On 1 October 1985, in Operation Wooden Leg, Israeli Air Force F-15s bombed the PLO's Tunis headquarters, killing more than 60 people.
Daniel 11:16- But he that cometh against him shall do according to his own will, and none shall stand before him: and he shall stand in the glorious land, which by his hand shall be consumed.
During this time, there was an attempt to stop the Maccabean revolt in Judea which ended in a shaky peace agreement with the walls of Jerusalem being torn down.
Because of Antiochus V subservience to the Romans, when Demetrius escaped and returned to Syria, Antiochus V was put to death and Demetrius I Soter (eleventh king of the North) reigned.
From 1983 to 1993, Arafat began to shift his approach from open conflict with the Israelis to negotiation. In 1992, Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin was the first to propose the creation of a physical barrier between the Israeli and Palestinian populations. Together with Prime Minister Peres and Rabin, they created the Oslo Accords, which created a Palestinian Authority in the West Bank and Gaza. Once the Palestinians took control of these sections they destroyed everything Jewish and began using these as bases for attacks on Israel.
Daniel 11:17- He shall also set his face to enter with the strength of his whole kingdom, and upright ones with him; thus shall he do: and he shall give him the daughter of women, corrupting her: but she shall not stand on his side, neither be for him.
The Roman Empire put their support behind Alexander I Balas (twelfth king of the North) and helped him defeat Demetrius and take over Syria. He killed Demetrius, his wife, and eldest his son. He then entered into an agreement with Ptolemy VI Philometor (sixth ruler of the South) and gave him his daughter, Cleopatra Thea, to wife.
Arafat’s decision to support Iraq during the 1990–91 Persian Gulf War alienated the PLO’s key financial donors among the gulf oil states and contributed to a further softening of its position regarding peace with Israel. In 1990, Arafat married Suha Tawil, a Palestinian Christian. Suha supposedly converted to Sunni Islam at the time of her marriage, however many Palestinians believe her conversion to be false. She tried to leave him many times, and said that she regretted this decision.
Daniel 11:18- After this shall he turn his face unto the isles, and shall take many: but a prince for his own behalf shall cause the reproach offered by him to cease; without his own reproach he shall cause it to turn upon him.
A younger son of Demetrius I gathered an army and came against Alexander I. Ptolemy VI came to his aid, but required the cities along the Mediterranean coast as payment. Ptolemy then switched sides and joined up with Demetrius II Nicator (thirteenth ruler of the North) to overthrow Alexander I Balas.
Ptolemaic Egypt was having a power struggle between Queen Cleopatra II and her husband/ brother king Ptolemy VIII Physcon (eighth king of the south). Somehow, Dmetrius II Nicator (thirteenth ruler of the North) caught wind and went to Egypt hoping to crush the Ptolemies. There were many problems that were happening in the Seleucid Empire, and this move was not acceptable to his troops and they mutinied in the Egyptian desert.
The West Bank is split into 167 Palestinian "islands" under partial Palestinian National Authority civil rule. The headquarters of the PLO were moved to Ramallah on the West Bank in 1993. Prime Minister Ehud Barak and Yasser Arafat in the 2000 Camp David Summit which offered Arafat a Palestinian state in 73 percent of the West Bank and all of the Gaza Strip, and Palestinians would also have "custodianship" over the Temple Mount, sovereignty on all Islamic and Christian holy sites, and three of Jerusalem's four Old City quarters. Fortunately, Arafat rejected the offer.
Hamas, a militant Islamic group, contested the 2006 election for the PA’s legislative body and won the majority of its seats, challenging the PLO’s dominance within Palestinian society.
Daniel 11:19- Then he shall turn his face toward the fort of his own land: but he shall stumble and fall, and not be found.
Demetrius was defeated at Damascus. He fled to Ptolemais, but his wife locked him out of the city. He was captured and killed on a ship.
In late 2004, after effectively being confined within his Ramallah compound for over two years by the Israeli army, Arafat fell into a coma and died. The death toll, both military and civilian, over the entire period in question (2000–2007) is estimated to be over 4,300 Palestinians and over 1,000 Israelis. Tensions between the PLO and Hamas came to a head in 2007, and an armed confrontation in the Gaza Strip left Hamas in control of the region. Since 2006, Israel has been negotiating with Mahmoud Abbas (Arafat's successor) and the PLO. In 2012, both organizations began operating under similar names: the status of the PLO at the United Nations was upgraded to non-member observer state under the official name “State of Palestine”.
At the PFLP's Sixth National Conference in 2000, Abu Ali Mustafa was elected to the position of General Secretary, but was assassinated on 27 August 2001 when an Israeli helicopter fired rockets at his office in the West Bank town of Ramallah. After Mustafa's death, the Central Committee of the PFLP in 2001 elected Ahmad Sa'adat General Secretary. He has held that position, although since 2002 he has been incarcerated in Palestinian and Israeli prisons. And, Mahmoud Abbas (also known as Abu Mazen), who was also one of the architects of the OSLO accords, has been the chairman of the PLO executive committee since 2004.
It is interesting to note that Hamas is not represented in the PLO. Formally, there should be 18 members in the organization, however, in the last few years many vacant seats have remained empty; there is no voiced reason for this.
After Hamas took over Gaza in 2007, Abbas issued a decree suspending the Palestinian Legislative Council and some sections of the Palestinian Basic Law, and appointed Salam Fayyad as the first prime minister of Palestine.
Mohammad Abdullah Mohammad Mustafa is the current prime minister of Palestine, which in September 2025, the United Nations voted to recognized Palestine as a sovereign state; United States was the only permanent member of the UN not to recognize Palestine.
The West Bank bordering Jordan, including East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip, collectively are now known as the territories of the Palestinian State.
Daniel 11:20- Then shall stand up in his estate a raiser of taxes in the glory of the kingdom: but within few days he shall be destroyed, neither in anger, nor in battle.
The Seleucid rulers lasted a few more years with many changes to the 'throne', eventually the Roman empire took control of the region. Herod was appointed 'King of the Jews' by the Roman Senate and ruled Judaea until his death in 4 BCE, which was said to be an excruciating ordeal from some illness called "Herod's evil".
Herod began taxing the Jews in accordance with Roman law. The high priest was required to pay the taxes yearly to Rome, which had three basic forms of taxes-
1) Land tax- a taxation on what was produced
2) Head tax- a taxation on the number of persons
3) Customs tax- a taxation on transported goods
History has not caught up with this verse. This raiser of taxes will be known as the man of sin. He is the smooth talking politician that will negotiate the peace treaty in the beginning of the Tribulation. In the mid-point of the 7-year tribulation, he will be assassinated and the world will mourn but for a brief period of time- about 3 days.
Daniel 11:21- And in his estate shall stand up a vile person, to whom they shall not give the honour of the kingdom: but he shall come in peaceably, and obtain the kingdom by flatteries.
Herod's two sons took over to rule the area. Augustus ruled over Samaria, Judea, and Idumea, while his brother, Antipas, ruled over Galilee and Peraea. These two were ruling during the time of Jesus Christ's ministry and crucifixion.
After 3 days, the politician will miraculously rise from the dead, though he will no longer be a sole human who serves the devil. He will now be Satan incarnate who will go into the rebuilt temple and sit on the ark of the covenant and proclaim himself to be, not only the Jews messiah, but god. He will demand worship by punishment of death, and will use the global banking system to push an implantable device (the mark of the beast) which people must accept to be able to buy and sell.
The Jewish people faced many hardships under Roman rule. There were rebellions, which eventually led to the destruction of Jerusalem and their temple. The book of Acts focuses on the church and its spread throughout the middle east.
But, I do want to address one more verse in particular, which will have prophetic notes a for future time that should be pointed out.
Daniel 11:31- And arms shall stand on his part, and they shall pollute the sanctuary of strength, and shall take away the daily sacrifice, and they shall place the abomination that maketh desolate.
37 AD, Roman Emperor Caligula ordered the erection of a statue of himself in the Second Temple. And by 70 AD, the entirety of Jerusalem was no more.
Josephus describes as follows:
"when they (Roman soldiers) went in numbers into the lanes of the city, with their swords drawn, they slew those whom they overtook, without mercy, and set fire to the houses wither the Jews were fled, and burnt every soul in them, and laid waste a great many of the rest. They ran every one through whom they met with, and obstructed the very lanes with their dead bodies, and made the whole city run down with blood, to such a degree indeed that the fire of many of the houses was quenched with these men's blood."
Christ tells people that when they see this abomination to flee to the wilderness. Many believe this is referencing Selah Petra.
Matthew 24:15,16,21- When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
Hard times are coming for the world. Those who are wise will get right with God while they still have the chance.
There are many prophecies in the Scriptures; many have come to pass, and there are some which are not far off. All of God's prophecies and promises will come to pass! The question is, "Where will you be and what will you choose when they do?"
