Introduction

Let us turn to Daniel Chapter 11. Over the years, I have read the Book of Daniel many times, but I still do not fully understand it. After researching Chapter 10, I began to worry about how to study Chapter 11. It starts with several kings, the king of the South, the king of the North... it's really confusing! So I've been fretting about how to study this chapter. I don't want to do a historian's interpretation. In my heart, I have been asking God, there must be a reason why He wrote such a long passage. This passage is very detailed, as if telling a story.

And in the first year of Darius the Mede, I took my stand to support and protect him—and now I will show you the truth. Behold, three more kings shall arise in Persia, and a fourth shall be far richer than all of them. And when he has become strong through his riches, he shall stir up all against the kingdom of Greece. (Daniel 11:1-2)

Later, I suddenly realized that what God wanted to tell me was not about the kings of the South and the North, but there must be other key points that God wanted to tell me. So later I found the theme of this chapter: The people who know their God shall stand firm and take action. Why is this the theme? Because what God revealed to Daniel is describing the generation we are in today and any generation before it. Human history has been playing out a drama, just like the American Civil War, the Southern and Northern Song Dynasties in ancient China, modern South and North Korea, South and North Vietnam, and so on.

Human History Repeats Itself

The things revealed in the Book of Daniel are constantly repeated in human history, and the end is nothingness. Thank God, after these days of tossing, God gave me very interesting revelations.

Then a mighty king shall arise, who shall rule with great dominion and do as he pleases. And as soon as he has arisen, his kingdom shall be broken and divided toward the four winds of heaven, but not to his posterity, nor according to the authority with which he ruled, for his kingdom shall be plucked up and go to others besides these. Then the king of the South shall be strong, but one of his princes shall be stronger than he and shall rule, and his authority shall be a great authority. After some years they shall make an alliance, and the daughter of the king of the South shall come to the king of the North to make the agreement. But she shall not retain the strength of her arm, and he and his arm shall not endure, but she shall be given up, and also those who brought her, and him who fathered her, and her who supported her in those times. But from a root of her family shall one arise in his place, and he shall come against the army and enter the fortress of the king of the North, and he shall deal with them and shall prevail. (Daniel 11:3-7)

We see this king rise up bravely, just like us today, busy with the affairs of the world, wielding great power and doing as he pleases, but his kingdom is plucked up and given to others besides his descendants. It turns out that human history constantly repeats the things described in the Book of Daniel. We see these things, do they all come to nothing?

You will find that whether it is Romance of the Three Kingdoms or Water Margin, people live in this world for decades, living so earnestly, for a lot of things in the world, and in the end, they don't even know how they died. When I was young, I often heard that the Gang of Four was overthrown, Jiang Qing, Yao Wenyuan, Zhang Chunqiao, and Wang Hongwen. Wang Hongwen was doing well in Shanghai, and then he had to be brought to Beijing to be a vice chairman, and he was overthrown soon after, and then died in prison. This world is like this, always tossing around there.

Also their gods with their metal images and their precious vessels of silver and gold he shall carry captive to Egypt. And for some years he shall refrain from attacking the king of the North. Then the king of the North shall come against the realm of the king of the South but shall return to his own land. His sons shall wage war and assemble a multitude of great forces, which shall keep coming and overflow and pass through, and again shall carry the war as far as his fortress. Then the king of the South shall be enraged and go out to fight against the king of the North. And he shall raise a great multitude, but the multitude shall be given into his hand. And when he has taken away the multitude, his heart shall be proud, and he shall cast down tens of thousands, but he shall not prevail. (Daniel 11:8-12)

Tossing back and forth, it seems to be very powerful, but a defeat is enough to be overwhelmed. We often think that this person is so powerful, but are they really that powerful, or are they just playing a clown in the history directed by God?

If we stand on the throne of God and look at human history, we will see people constantly tossing around and constantly fighting. If you continue to read, you will find that these kings are constantly building fortresses, capturing strongholds, and no one can stand before the king of the North. He will stand in the glorious land and use his hand to destroy it, but this plan will not succeed, and it will be of no benefit to himself. Then he turned back and plundered many islands, but a commander removed the reproach he suffered. Don't ask who this person is and who that person is. We are not historians. In fact, the most important thing is the following sentence:

Then he shall turn his face toward the fortresses of his own land, but he shall stumble and fall and shall not be found. (Daniel 11:19)

I think this is very interesting. There was once a person who was very famous. He said, no one can enter my palace without my order. Then one day, after eating, drinking, and having fun, he returned to his palace and never came out again. No one dared to go in without his order. Finally, everyone boldly went in and saw that he was dead! This is how he stumbled and fell, and then came to nothing.

He shall set his face to come with the strength of his whole kingdom, and shall bring terms of peace and perform them. And he shall give him the daughter of women to destroy the kingdom, but his plan shall not succeed or be to his advantage. (Daniel 11:17)

Then shall arise in his place one who shall send an exactor of tribute through the glory of the kingdom. But within a few days he shall be broken, neither in anger nor in war. (Daniel 11:20)

Why? Because being a king like this and being a king like that will not end up being a king, but perishing! If we people have a little more wisdom, would you envy these things? Look at this generation today, it is also cloudy and foggy. Who became the richest man, and then came down again, and after a while, another person went up again and became the richest man. Later, it was discovered that they were also like these kings, and they would perish in a few days.

When we look at this generation today, look at those people who are so serious. The American elections are very serious. Everyone is fighting for it, first grabbing the election qualifications of their own party, and then competing with another party. Some time ago, I went to Taiwan to watch the elections. Those people were very serious, terribly serious. If you stand on the throne of God and look down, will these people come to nothing in the end? Where are the kings of the South and the North now? We China also has kings of the South and the North, the People's Republic of China and the Republic of China, Taiwanese independence, Hong Kong independence, no matter how they make trouble, they will all come to nothing in the end.

The most deadly thing about people is that they can't see through it. So when I study the Bible like this, I can immediately sort out Chapter 11 of the Book of Daniel. No matter how much you toss around, the Persian king is gone, the Greek king is gone, this king and that king are all gone. Cao Cao of Romance of the Three Kingdoms built the Wei Dynasty, but later it was gone; Sima Yi was powerful, and he built the Southern and Northern Dynasties, but later it was gone; Li Yuanba of The Legend of Sui and Tang Dynasties was so powerful with his sledgehammer, but later it was gone; whether you are furious or not, whether you array a large army or not, it will all come to nothing in the end.

As the people of God, what do we think of when we see these things? We will see that people in this world for a short few decades are meaningless. The king of the South is powerful, the king of the North is powerful, Zhuge Liang is powerful, Zhou Yu is powerful, what are they doing? They will all perish in a few days. Let's continue reading the scriptures:

In his place shall arise a contemptible person to whom royal majesty has not been granted. He shall come in without warning and obtain the kingdom by flatteries. Armies shall be utterly swept away before him and broken, and the prince of the covenant as well. And from the time that he makes a covenant with him he shall act deceitfully, and he shall rise and become strong with a small people.

Without warning he shall come into the richest parts of the province, and he shall do what neither his fathers nor his fathers' fathers have done, scattering among them plunder, spoil, and goods. He shall devise plans against strongholds, but only for a time. And he shall stir up his power and courage against the king of the South with a great army. And the king of the South shall wage war with an exceedingly great and strong army, but he shall not stand, for plots shall be devised against him. Those who eat his food shall break him, his army shall be swept away, and many shall fall down slain.

And as for these two kings, their hearts shall be bent on doing evil, and they shall speak lies at the same table, but to no avail, for the end is yet to be at the appointed time. And he shall return to his land with great wealth, but his heart shall be set against the holy covenant. And he shall work his will and return to his own land. At the time appointed he shall return and come into the South, but it shall not be this last time as it was before. For ships of Kittim shall come against him, and he shall be afraid and withdraw, and shall turn back and be enraged and take action against the holy covenant. He shall turn back and pay attention to those who forsake the holy covenant. Forces from him shall appear and profane the temple and fortress, and shall take away the regular burnt offering. And they shall set up the abomination that makes desolate. He shall seduce with flatteries those who violate the covenant, but the people who know their God shall stand firm and take action. (Daniel 11:21-32)

So a passage that Jesus spoke is very interesting. What did Jesus say?

And you will hear of wars and rumours of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are but the beginning of the birth pains. “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name's sake. And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. “So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand).(Matthew 24:6-15)

The People of God Must Be Strong and Stand Firm

Having said so much, when we see these things, will we discern good from evil in our hearts? Will we look at today's generation with a shallow perspective and be trapped in this deception? If we are the people of God, we will have God's wisdom, and seeing these things, we will be strong and stand firm. Even if lawlessness increases, our love will not grow cold. What does it matter if a despicable person rises to be king?

Today, do we as Christians need to participate in these things? Do we need to pursue worldly justice? We do not. What we need to pursue are the things that Daniel cared about: the people of God and the temple of God. Today, do we also uniquely recognize the people of God? If so, we must be strong and take action. Even if many of them fall by the sword, or are burned with fire, or are taken captive, or are plundered, what does it matter? We must still be strong and take action. There are not many righteous things we see in this world. Can we seek justice in this world?

A Christian must have spiritual insight. The people of this world scheme and fight for their own interests. Aren't these all the logic of the old ways? When we see these things, we must not be deceived. We see some people who are not that great, but how do they make so much money? Let us not be confused by such things. You must know that in the end, all will return to nothingness. These things are temporary. Although they do as they please, the matter will be concluded in the end.

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 prosper until the time of wrath is completed, for what has been determined must be done. (Daniel 11:36)

In other words, what these people do will return to nothingness.

He will show no regard for the gods of his ancestors or for the one desired by women, nor will he regard any god, because he will exalt himself above them all. Instead of them, he will honor a god of fortresses; a god unknown to his ancestors he will honor with gold, silver, jewels and costly gifts. Daniel 11:37

What will the result be? Yet, at his end, no one will be able to help him. This is in the last verse of chapter 11:

At the end time the king of the south will engage him in battle, and the king of the north will storm out against him with chariots and cavalry and a great fleet of ships. He will invade many countries and sweep through them like a flood. He will also invade the Beautiful Land. Many countries will be overthrown, but Edom, Moab and the leading men of Ammon will be delivered from his hand. He will extend his power over many countries; Egypt will not escape. He will gain control of the treasures of gold and silver and all the riches of Egypt, with the Libyans and Cushites in submission. But reports from the east and the north will alarm him, and he will set out in great fury to destroy and devote many to destruction. He will pitch his royal tents between the seas at the beautiful holy mountain. Yet he will come to his end, and no one will help him. (Daniel 11:40-45)

God Will Refine Us to Make Us Pure and White

When these people reach their end, who will be able to help them? All will return to nothingness. Today, as the people of God, when we see such things happening one after another, what conclusions should we draw? Because God allows these things to happen among us, it is to refine us, to make us pure and white until the end, when the appointed time is completed.

Our God is humourous. After speaking at length, no matter what kind of person you are, how arbitrary you are, and how prosperous you are, when the Lord's wrath is completed, what has been determined must be done. It is not their affairs that are accomplished, but their ultimate return to nothingness.

So, if we carefully consider this matter, it is not about identifying who this king is or who that king is according to the Bible. Instead, God wants us to carefully read through this chapter and understand that when the appointed time comes, the matter will be concluded. That is, these people will be finished and gone when the time comes. Whether it is Qin Shi Huang, Emperor Wu of Han, Emperor Taizong of Tang, Emperor Taizu of Song, Genghis Khan, or the kings of all ages, they all end up the same. When the appointed time comes, they themselves are powerless to reverse or salvage the situation.

In the past, when people saw the emperor, they would shout, Long live the Emperor, long live, long long live! Where did the long live come from? Does shouting long live make it so? Some died in their forties or fifties, some in their sixties, and some in their seventies or eighties, but that's all. If we are wise, can we see through this? You will see some strange things. For example, this person is not that great, but he is very rich. In fact, he did not earn the money himself. He thinks he is very capable, but who knows what he is really like? It just happened to be a fluke. In fact, this is just something that deceives people.

These people don't even know how they made their money. Those who do the same thing as him lose a lot of money, but he makes a lot of money doing this. He doesn't even understand it himself. If people think that these things are all due to their own efforts, they will become arrogant. In fact, in the end, they will find that it is not his scheme that has succeeded. It turns out that this is just a play directed by God to make him proud.

No matter what these people are like, they are actually very arrogant because they carry a worldly evil spirit. In other words, the things of this world are very strange. You will find that these people are not very good at what they do, but their affairs succeed, while others cannot. In the end, whether it succeeds or not, whether it is cleverly lured or falls by the sword, or is burned with fire, or is plundered, what will happen in the end?

We are people who know God. We are strong and stand firm because our eyes have seen these things. We know that these things will all return to nothingness. Sometimes when we see these things, we wonder how this could be. If you look closely, you will see that many Christians are also involved in these political struggles. What good does participating do? They are pursuing something in the world called justice. They are not pursuing God's justice. They are living in deception and are just part of the king of the south and the king of the north.

But today, if we know God, are our eyes set on this life? We see through the things of this world. We become wise and instruct many people so that they can see clearly in this dazzling generation. Then, we are refined and cleansed by these messy things of the world until the end of the world.

So, our God is really humourous. God uses these things to refine people in order to sift out the treasures, to sift out His people, to sift out those who are strong and take action. We are no longer afraid or worried. If our God does not allow it, not a single hair can fall. We must know that even if these things happen, is it not God's plan? But what exactly is God's plan? To enable His people to see through all things, to be wise, and then to instruct many people.

Even if we fall by the sword, what does it matter? In fact, many Christians throughout history have laid down their lives for God, but what does that prove? Being killed by the sword, taken captive, or plundered, what does it matter? It doesn't matter. It can only prove one thing: God wants to refine us, to make us pure and white. No matter what, we must believe that God reigns in the kingdom of mankind and that what God has determined will surely be accomplished.

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)

We know that in this generation, our God Jesus Christ is coming back. So let's be wise, see through all the things of this world. If you can't see through, you will live a hard life in this world. You will also become the king of the south and the king of the north, tossing back and forth, and in the end, returning to nothingness. Someone does business and loses a lot of money; then someone else does business and can't get the money back and has to go to court to collect debts all day long. Whether you get it back or not, what will happen in the end? All will return to nothingness.

If we are wise, what can these things do to us? They can't do anything to us. If you take the things of this world too seriously, I think it will be difficult for you to see through. If you can't see through, how can you be the people of God? How can you be strong and take action? What you are pursuing is just what the king of the south and the king of the north are pursuing. What was the Battle of Red Cliffs back then? What does it matter today? At that time, it was a major event that shocked the whole country. From the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period until now, human history is nothing more than this, nothing more than the king of the south and the king of the north, who will eventually return to nothingness.

Conclusion

As the people of God, we must be strong and take action! What kind of strength and action is required? It is to see through everything in this world. What good does it do to do well in business? No matter how rich a person is, in the end, nothing will be left behind. If we see through the things of this world, shouldn't we recognize the surpassing greatness of the eternal glory? Although we experience momentary light affliction in this world, we must hold firmly to the surpassing greatness of the eternal glory.

When you see the wicked prospering, don't be afraid, don't worry, that's only temporary. When we examine this passage of Scripture, we must learn to look at the end of these people's lives. The end is not good. Dynasty after dynasty, humanity moves forward like this, and in the end, it is nothing more than this. If we are like them, trapped in this illusion, how can we live out God's glory? Let us come out of the illusion and begin to cling to God. Know that the end of all things is near. We must begin to cling to God, see through all things, and be strong and take action!

May God bless everyone!