Daniel 11:36-45: Faulty Forecast, Future Finale, or Focal Flip (PART 2)

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Imagery: A View From Heaven

Having discussed the precedents in previous post, we now need to take a look at the imagery that’s being employed in this oracle.

First, it’s very important for us to understand the perspective from which this entire prophecy is being related to us.  There is a specific viewpoint from which this prophecy is made.  This perspective will become clear to us by making some observations regarding the context of the vision and the biblical use of the imagery of “north vs. south”.  We’ll look first at the immediate context.

While it can’t be denied that this prophecy has an obvious focus on the conflicts of earthly kingdoms, we’ll see that its primarily described from the standpoint of the corresponding conflicts in the spiritual realm.  From the very start of the vision containing this prophecy, there are indicators that it may have a predominantly spiritual focus.  For example, it’s instructive to consider who is speaking throughout this prophecy.  The vision actually starts in the previous chapter – chapter 10.

Here, we find the entity relating the prophecy to Daniel is someone who is described as having the appearance of a man, the implication being that he is some sort of spiritual being.  Doesn’t it seem somewhat reasonable that a heavenly being might tend to relate things to others from a spiritual perspective? This suspicion is soon confirmed for us because in that very chapter, this messenger alludes to battles of imperial proportions – one involving himself and the prince of Perisa, and another between himself and the prince of Greece.  Michael, the chief prince of Daniel’s people, is also said to be participating in these battles.

Most commentators agree that these princes are not direct references to human beings but rather spiritual beings.  The thing we should notice here is that the man in the vision refers to these spiritual beings based on the nations they are associated with – Persia, Greece, and Israel.  The prophecy of the kings of the north and south almost immediately follows the references to these spiritual beings.  Might we then suspect that the geographical language that the man uses in chapter 11 could also be referring to spiritual powers?  Could it be that these earthly nations are described as they are seen from a heavenly perspective?

A Peculiar Ambiguity

Notice also that, unlike the description of the princes of Persia, Greece, and Israel, the kings are not described by their national affiliations.  Only their geographic location.  Why this inconsistency?  If they were always the same nations, why not simply call them Syria and Egypt?  Why call them kings of the north and south?  Perhaps they can’t be called Syria and Egypt because they aren’t always those nations.  That may be one reason for the use of the more general terms north and south. We’ll see some other possible reasons for this later.

Some might argue that, geographic locations may have been used just to make the prophecy more ambiguous.  It is an apocalypse, isn’t it?  If it were too obvious as to how it would be fulfilled and it fell into the hands of the people to which it pertained, they may be able to use that information to their advantage and change the course of history, perhaps even thawrting the predicted outcome.

I could see some merit in that argument. But it’s interesting that if the man in the vision was so concerned about concealing the identities of these nations, why does he explicitly mention Egypt by name just a few verses later? In verses v. 42-43 we read

he shall stretch out his hand against the countries, and the land of Egypt shall not escape. He shall have power over the treasures of gold and silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt.

He goes on to mention other kingdoms as well.  Lybia.  Ethiopia.  And just a verse earlier he mentions Edom, Moab, and Ammon.  That’s not to mention the princes of Persia and Greece from chapter 10.  8 nations – all by name.  Why is ambiguity so important in the section concerning the kings of the north and south but not in the verses immediately preceding it or after it?

In particular, why introduce the phrase, the “King of the South” as generic name for Egypt, when it’s explicitly mentioned by name in nearby verses?

Significance of the Heavenly Viewpoint: Further Hints

The view that spiritual forces are behind the rulers of earthly kingdoms also finds specific support elsewhere in both the old and new testaments.  It’s a consistent principle throughout the bible that beings in the spiritual world constantly vie for the influence of beings in the physical realm.  Here are some of the passages that demonstrate this most directly.

• Saul and the tormenting spirit of 1 Samuel 16:14.
• The spirit that volunteered to deceive Ahab, the king of Israel, through his false prophets in 2 Chronicles 18:21 and 1 Kings 22:22.
• And the apostle Paul tells us in Ephesians 6:12 that the battles we are contending in are not against flesh and blood but rather rulers, authorities, and powers of this dark world – the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
• The New Testament even records numerous cases of humans being possessed by demons. Not the least of which was Judas Iscariot.

Beyond Suspicion

In addition to these initial hints, there are two other far more compelling clues that the prophecy of the kings of the north and south is related to us from the perspective of the heavenly realm.  These clues are the vision’s use of:

1. the cardinal directions of north and south to describe the origins of the earthly conflicts
2. the whirlwind to describe a significant blow delivered to the King of the South.

Both of these lines of evidence are based on powerful literary images that are well established elsewhere in the Old Testament.

North vs. South Imagery

Interpreters have long concluded, somewhat arbitrarily so, that the north vs. south imagery employed in this vision is simply a reflection of the relative geographic locations of the two specific earthly nations involved in the prophecy, namely Syria and Egypt.  This symbolism then serves as a convenient mask to add an element of ambiguity or perhaps apocalyptic style to the prophecy.

However, this view reflects a fundamental misunderstanding of the symbolism that’s being employed here. It’s this misunderstanding that has lead to much the confusion over the final few verses of this oracle.

In reality, the predominant thrust of the north vs. south imagery extends beyond the geography of the physical world into the heavenly realm.  These cardinal directions are a pictorial way of describing the opposing nature of the spiritual combatants raging behind the power struggles amongst earthly kingdoms.  This makes the visionary man’s use of north and south to designate rulers of nations very significant.

Let’s look at some of the biblical evidence that would confirm this idea.  A natural place to start our investigation may be with the most significant of all of these spiritual combatants – God himself.  On many occassions in scripture, God’s judgement on nations procedes from a single characteristic direction.  That direction is the North.  Here are some key verses to consider.

In Ezekiel, we read:

Wail, you gate! Howl, you city! Melt away, all you Philistines! A cloud of smoke comes from the north, and there is not a straggler in its ranks.

Ezekiel 32:30

In the same book, God says …

also Gomer with all its troops, and Beth Togarmah from the far north with all its troops-the many nations with you. … You will come from your place in the far north, you and many nations with you, all of them riding on horses, a great horde, a mighty army.

Ezekiel 38:6,15

Later, He says

“I will turn you around and drag you along. I will bring you from the far north and send you against the mountains of Israel.”

Ezekiel 39:2

Turning to Isaiah

“All the princes of the north and all the Sidonians are there; they went down with the slain in disgrace despite the terror caused by their power.”

Isaiah 14:31

Much later, God tells Isaiah:

“I have stirred up one from the north, and he comes-one from the rising sun who calls on my name. He treads on rulers as if they were mortar, as if he were a potter treading the clay.”

Isaiah 41:25

Jeremiah has a lot to say on this subject.

“The word of the Lord came to me again: “What do you see?” “I see a pot that is boiling,” I answered. “It is tilting toward us from the north.” The Lord said to me, “From the north disaster will be poured out on all who live in the land.”

Jeremiah 1:13-14

“Raise the signal to go to Zion! Flee for safety without delay! For I am bringing disaster from the north, even terrible destruction.”

Jeremiah 4:6

“Flee for safety, people of Benjamin! Flee from Jerusalem! Sound the trumpet in Tekoa! Raise the signal over Beth Hakkerem! For disaster looms out of the north, even terrible destruction. … “Look, an army is coming from the land of the north; a great nation is being stirred up from the ends of the earth.”

Jeremiah 6:1,22

Listen! The report is coming-a great commotion from the land of the north! It will make the towns of Judah desolate, a haunt of jackals.

Jeremiah 10:22

Look up and see those who are coming from the north. Where is the flock that was entrusted to you, the sheep of which you boasted?

Jeremiah 13:20

“I will summon all the peoples of the north and my servant Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon,” declares the Lord, “and I will bring them against this land and its inhabitants and against all the surrounding nations. I will completely destroy them and make them an object of horror and scorn, and an everlasting ruin. … and all the kings of the north, near and far, one after the other – all the kingdoms on the face of the earth.

Jeremiah 25:9,26

“Egypt is a beautiful heifer, but a gadfly is coming against her from the north. … Daughter Egypt will be put to shame, given into the hands of the people of the north.”

Jeremiah 46:20-24

“See how the waters are rising in the north; they will become an overflowing torrent. They will overflow the land and everything in it, the towns and those who live in them.”

Jeremiah 47:2

In Jeremiah 50, judgement from the north is mentioned four times:

“A nation from the north will attack her and lay waste her land. No one will live in it; both people and animals will flee away. … For I will stir up and bring against Babylon an alliance of great nations from the land of the north. They will take up their positions against her, and from the north she will be captured. … “Look! An army is coming from the north; a great nation and many kings are being stirred up from the ends of the earth.”

Jeremiah 50:3,9,41

In the final chapter of Jeremiah,  a warning goes forth:

“Sharpen the arrows, take up the shields! The Lord has stirred up the kings of the Medes, because his purpose is to destroy Babylon. The Lord will take vengeance, vengeance for his temple. … Then heaven and earth and all that is in them will shout for joy over Babylon, for out of the north destroyers will attack her,” declares the Lord.

Jeremiah 51: 11,48

Finally, in Joel, God says

“I will drive the northern horde far from you, pushing it into a parched and barren land; its eastern ranks will drown in the Dead Sea and its western ranks in the Mediterranean Sea.

Joel 2:20

There are even passages where, although it’s not explicitly stated that God is fighting from the north, the nations being judged are in the south.

Then the Lord will appear over them; his arrow will flash like lightning. The Sovereign Lord will sound the trumpet; he will march in the storms of the south …

Zechariah 9:14

Back in Ezekiel again, we read:

“Son of man, set your face toward the south; preach against the south and prophesy against the forest of the southland.”

Ezekiel 20:46

The pattern that emerges is clear.  When God is seen coming in judgement, the direction from which he is coming is usually described as the north.

However, even in passages like Habakkuk 3, which seems to depict God’s judgement emanating from the south rather than the north, closer inspection reveals that its actually describing the exact opposite:

“God came from Teman, the Holy One from Mount Paran. His glory covered the heavens and his praise filled the earth. His splendor was like the sunrise; rays flashed from his hand, where his power was hidden. Plague went before him; pestilence followed his steps. .. I saw the tents of Cushan in distress, the dwellings of Midian in anguish.”

Habakkuk 3:3-5,7

Here we have an instance of God’s judgement of plague and pestilence proceeding forth from Teman.  “Teman” means “southlands”.  The man for which this area is named was also the firstborn of a chief named Eliphaz, who was himself the first born of Esau.  Esau, too, has connections to the south.  He was the father of the Edomites, who inhabited the regions south of Judah.

What’s interesting here is that the targets of this judgement are said to be Cush and Midian.  Cush and Midian were well south of Teman.  That is, Teman, despite being emblematic of the south with respect to Israel, was still north of the stated targets of God’s judgement.  It would seem likely that these passages may even deliberately refrain from using the term “south” to intentionally downplay the usual association of this region with the south in other biblical contexts so as to not conflict with the consistency of the north vs. south imagery used in other biblical judgement passages.

While we are on the subject, let me just say this. There are a few other instances of God coming from the south which may at first seem to violate this principle.  However, the point I’m making here is not that God’s movements are always viewed as proceeding out of the north.  An approach from north typically indicates God’s impending judgement.  However, he is seen journeying from the south on occassion.  Though, these trips from the south are for the purposes of delivering provisions and wealth.  Often, these are in the form of plunder from the southern kingdoms, the recipients of judgement.

Let’s look at some more verses.

“He let loose the east wind from the heavens and by his power made the south wind blow. He rained meat down on them like dust, birds like sand on the seashore.” …

Psalm 78:26-27

This is refering to God’s providential supply of quail for Israel to use for food while they were wandering in the desert.  The first hand account of this is given to us in the book of Numbers 11:31.

Further,

“The Lord came from Sinai and dawned over them from Seir; he shone forth from Mount Paran. He came with myriads of holy ones from the south, from his mountain slopes.”

Deuteronomy 33:2

Notice also the reference to Seir. The Edomites, which we mentioned earlier as having connections with the South are said to have settled in the hill country of Seir.”;

Even passages where God Himself is not mentioned but his provisions are, those provisions are often coming from the south.
In 2 Chronicles 9 and 1 Kings 10, we read the account of the Queen of Sheba’s visit to King Solomon and all the gifts she gave him.

“When the queen of Sheba heard of Solomon’s fame, she came to Jerusalem to test him with hard questions. Arriving with a very great caravan-with camels carrying spices, large quantities of gold, and precious stones-she came to Solomon and talked with him about all she had on her mind. … Then she gave the king 120 talents of gold, large quantities of spices, and precious stones. There had never been such spices as those the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.

In Matthew 12:42 and Luke 11:31, Jesus referred to the Queen of Sheba, the one delivering the provisions to king Solomon, as the Queen of the south. Incidentally, he mentioned this during a pronouncement of judgement on Israel.

Again, in Isaiah, God says

“Herds of camels will cover your land, young camels of Midian and Ephah. And all from Sheba will come, bearing gold and incense and proclaiming the praise of the Lord.”

Isaiah 60:6

These kingdoms from where the provisions would come – Midian, Ephah, Sheba – are all in the south.”

So, you can see, there is a clear pattern in scripture. God’s judgement is viewed as proceeding out of the north with his enemies residing in the south. Plunder from the conquest of the south is sent north.

Up Next

In my next post, we’ll explore the significance of the whirlwind.  We will then tie all these observations together to reach our conclusion about what is actually going on here in Daniel and why it has remained a mystery for so many centuries.