1. In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia, a revelation was given to Daniel... Its message was true and it concerned a great war... The message came to him in a vision.
   Daniel 10:1-6
• There before me was a man dressed in linen.
• A belt of fine gold around his waist.
• Body like topaz (divine radiance).
• Face like lightning.
• Eyes like flaming torches.
• Arms and legs like burnished bronze.
• Voice like the sound of a multitude.
2. I was left alone... I had no strength left, my face turned deathly pale and I was helpless. Daniel 10:8
3. "Do not be afraid, Daniel... I have come to explain to you what will happen to your people in the future, for the vision concerns a time yet to come." Daniel 10:12-14
4. I opened my mouth and began to speak. "How can I, your servant, talk with you, my lord? My strength is gone and I can hardly breathe." Daniel 10:16-17
5. The man touched me and gave me strength. "I have come... to tell you what is written in the Book of Truth."
   Daniel 10:18-21

1. The angelic being Daniel sees in vision is about to reveal a history from the time of the Persian Empire to the last days before the Second Coming of the Messiah.
2. This is a continuation and expansion upon the vision of the ram and the goat recorded in Chapter 8, but it begins with the reign of Cyrus II (Cyrus the Great) some 200 years earlier.
3. "Three more kings will arise in Persia, and then a fourth... When he has gained power by his wealth, he will stir up everyone against the kingdom of Greece." Daniel 11:2
4. The four kings of Persia after Cyrus the Great:
   • Cambyses II
   • Smerdis
   • Darius I (Darius the Great)
   • Xerxes I
5. In 480 BC, Xerxes I, King of Persia, launched a large-scale invasion of Greece^[1], aiming to conquer the Greek city-states.
6. "Then a mighty king will arise, who will rule with great power and do as he pleases. After he has arisen, his empire will be broken up and parceled out toward the four winds of heaven." Daniel 11:3-4
7. This mighty king is none other than Alexander the Great who brought to an end the Achaemenid Persian Empire^[2] in 330 BC.
8. Alexander died seven years later and his empire was divided up among his generals.

Footnotes:

1. Persian Invasion of Greece
2. Alexander Defeats Persia
3. The Ptolemaic Kingdom
4. The Seleucid Empire
5. The Syrian Wars
6. Egypt Conquered by Rome

1. The angelic being speaks: "The king of the South will become strong, but one of his [Alexander's] commanders will become even stronger than he and will rule his own kingdom with great power." Daniel 11:5
   • Egypt became the Kingdom of the South under control of General Ptolemy. The Ptolemaic Kingdom^[3] existed from 305 - 30 BC.
   • The Kingdom of the North, founded by General Seleucus I, stretched from Pakistan to modern-day Turkey. The Seleucid Empire^[4] existed from 323 to 64 BC.
   • In Daniel chapter 11, from verse 6 to verse 30, the angelic being relates to Daniel the long-running conflict between the kings of the North and the South.
2. The realms of the Ptolemaic Kingdom and the Seleucid Empire converged in the vicinity of Israel and their frequent conflicts became known as the Syrian Wars^[5].
3. What remained of the Seleucid Empire by the first century BC was annexed by the Roman Republic, thus becoming the new Kingdom of the North.
4. This was when parts of Palestine, including Judea, came under Roman rule.
5. The relationship between Rome and Egypt was marked by periods of tension and conflict.
6. The Ptolemaic Kingdom came to an end after The Battle of Actium in 31 BC, and Egypt became a Roman province^[6].
7. The angelic being continues: "His armed forces will rise up to desecrate the temple fortress and will abolish the daily sacrifice. Then they will set up the abomination that causes desolation." Daniel 11:31
8. Jesus' own words to his disciples place this event some years in the future. Matthew 24:15-16 Jerusalem and the Temple were destroyed in 70 AD by Roman forces. The Temple and its services have never been restored.
9. The angelic being continues: "The king will do as he pleases. He will exalt and magnify himself above every god and will say unheard-of things against the God of gods. He will be successful until the time of wrath is completed... He will show no regard for the gods of his ancestors... but will exalt himself above them all." Daniel 11:36-37
10. The angelic being concludes: "At that time Michael, the great prince who protects your people, will arise. There will be a time of distress... But at that time your people... will be delivered. Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt." Daniel 12:1-2

1. The little horn that arises from among the ten on the fourth beast of Daniel 7:
   • "The ten horns are ten kings who will come from this kingdom. After them another king will arise, different from the earlier ones; he will subdue three kings." Daniel 7:24
   • "He will speak against the Most High and oppress his holy people... The holy people will be delivered into his hands for a time, times and half a time." Daniel 7:25
   • "But the court will sit, and his power will be taken away and completely destroyed forever." Daniel 7:26
2. The little horn that arises from one of the four horns on the goat of Daniel 8:
   • "The four horns that replaced the one that was broken off represent four kingdoms that will emerge from his nation." Daniel 8:22
   • "In the latter part of their reign, when rebels have become completely wicked, a fierce-looking king, a master of intrigue, will arise." Daniel 8:23
   • "he will consider himself superior... he will destroy many and take his stand against the Prince of princes. Yet he will be destroyed, but not by human power." Daniel 8:25
3. Paul's letter to the Thessalonians: Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ... Don’t let anyone deceive you... that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed... He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped... proclaiming himself to be God. 2 Thessalonians 2:1-4
4. The two beasts of Revelation 13:
   • It [the beast from the sea] opened its mouth to blaspheme God, and to slander his name... All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast - all whose names have not been written in the Lamb's book of life. Revelation 13:6-8
   • It [the beast from the earth] exercised all the authority of the first beast on its behalf, and made the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast. Revelation 13:12
   • Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to wage war against the rider on the horse and his army. Revelation 19:19
   • The beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who had performed the signs on its behalf... The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. Revelation 19:20
5. The scarlet beast and the ten kings of Revelation 17:
   • The inhabitants of the earth whose names have not been written in the book of life from the creation of the world will be astonished when they see the beast. Revelation 17:8
   • They will wage war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will triumph over them because he is Lord of lords and King of kings. Revelation 17:14
6. Conclusion:
   • The end-time antichrist documented here refers to the same entity although represented by different symbolic imagery.
   • It establishes itself slowly at first but grows in power by way of its craft of deception and lies.
   • Its deception is so great even some who call themselves the people of God are brought under its influence.
   • The antichrist is not an individual, rather a union of civil power and a pseudo religious system.
   • Unlike the religions of former persecuting powers that were polytheistic, this one is a worship of self.
   • It boasts of itself to be as great or greater than God, even claiming to be a god.
   • It creates a rebellion on earth against God, God's law and God's holy people.
   • The antichrist, its unholy power and all the forces it employs are brought to an end at the Second Coming of Christ.