Spivey's Unauthorized Biblical Timeline
a Scripture-centered journey through God's redemptive story from a historic perspective. 

Daniel 11 continued:

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• v4 "After he [Alexander the Great] has arisen [335 BC to 323 BC], his empire will be broken up and parceled out toward the four winds of heaven [every direction]. It [the empire] will not go to his descendants [they were murdered], nor will it have the power he exercised, because his empire will be uprooted and given to others [the Diadochi]."

  • His four generals (the "Diadochi" meaning "Successors")

    • Cassander (Macedonia & Greece)

      • east of Israel

    • Lysimachus (Thrace & Asia Minor)

      • north and east of Israel

    • Ptolemy I [Soter] (Egypt, Cypress, Libya & The Levant)

      • south of Israel

    • Seleucus I Nicator (The Levant, Asia Minor, Mesopotamia, Persia and India)

      • north and west of Israel

• v5 “The king of the South [Ptolemy I Soter] will become strong, but one of his commanders [Seleucus I Nicator was an Admiral under Ptolemy I Soter from 316 BC to 311 BC] will become even stronger than he and will rule his own kingdom with great power [Seleucid Dynasty]."

• v6 "After some [65] years , they will become allies [246 BC]. The daughter [Berenice] of the king of the South [Ptolemy II Philadelphus] will go to the king of the North [Antiochus II Theos] to make an alliance, but she [Berenice] will not retain her power, and he and his power will not last. In those days she will be betrayed [murdered by Laodice I, divorced first wife of Antiochus II Theos], together with her royal escort and her father [Ptolemy II Philadelphus] and the one who supported her [unknown]."

• v7 “One [Ptolemy III Euergetes, brother of Berenice] from her [Berenice] family line will arise to take her place. He will attack the forces of the king of the North [Seleucus II Callinicus, son of Antiochus II Theos] and enter his fortress; he will fight against them [Third Syrian War in 246 BC] and be victorious."

• v8 "He [Ptolemy III Euergetes] will also seize their gods, their metal images [2,500 statutes, including Egyptian ones stolen years ago] and their valuable articles of silver and gold [40,000 talents] and carry them off to Egypt. For some years he will leave the king of the North alone [treaty in 241 BC]."

• v9 "Then the king of the North [Antiochus III the Great] will invade [Fourth Syrian War in 219 BC] the realm of the king of the South [Ptolemy IV Philopator] but will retreat to his own country [waited in Phoenicia for over a year]."

• v10 "His sons [Antiochus III the Great] will prepare for war and assemble a great army [75,000 soldiers], which will sweep on like an irresistible flood and carry the battle as far as his fortress."

• v11 “Then the king of the South [Ptolemy IV Philopator] will march out in a rage and fight against the king of the North, who will raise a large army [73,000 soldiers, 5,000 cavalry, 73 elephants], but it [army of the North] will be defeated [Battle of Raphia in 217 BC]."

• v12 "When the army is carried off, the king of the South will be filled with pride and will slaughter many thousands, yet he will not remain triumphant [Egyptian Revolt 206 BC - 204 BC, death in 204 BC]"

• v13 "For the king of the North [Antiochus III the Great] will muster another army, larger than the first; and after several years [15 years], he will advance with a huge army fully equipped [Fifth Syrian War from 202 BC to 196 BC]."

• v14 “In those times many [Roman Republic] will rise against the king of the South [Ptolemy V Epiphanes]. Those who are violent [apostate mercenaries of Israel] among your own people [Jews] will rebel in fulfillment of the vision [wanting an independent Jewish state], but without success."

• v15 "Then the king of the North [Antiochus III the Great] will come and build up siege ramps and will capture a fortified city [Sidon]. The forces of the South will be powerless to resist; even their best troops will not have the strength to stand."

• v16 "The invader will do as he pleases; no one will be able to stand against him. He will establish himself in the Beautiful Land [Israel] and will have the power to destroy it."

• v17 "He [Antiochus III the Great] will determine to come with the might of his entire kingdom and will make an alliance [196 BC] with the king of the South [Ptolemy V Epiphanes]. And he will give him a daughter [Cleopatra I Syra] in marriage [Betrothed in 195 BC and married in 193 BC] in order to overthrow the kingdom [had sent as a spy], but his plans will not succeed or help him [Cleopatra loved her husband more than her father]."

• v18 "Then he [Antiochus III the Great] will turn his attention to the coastlands [Mediterranean Islands and Greece, but the Roman Republic had the power in this area] and will take many of them, but a commander [Roman General Manius Acilius Glabrio] will put an end to his insolence and will turn his insolence back on him [Battle of Thermopylae in 190 BC]."

• v19 "After this, he [Antiochus III the Great] will turn back toward the fortresses of his own country [Treaty of Apamea in 188 BC between Rome Republic and Seleucid Empire] but will stumble and fall [killed by his own people while pillaging a Persian temple of Bel in 187 BC], to be seen no more [his body never recovered].

• v20 “His successor [Seleucus IV Philopator] will send out a tax collector [owed Rome tribute from Treaty of Apamea in 188 BC] to maintain the royal splendor. In a few years [8 years], however, he will be destroyed [assassinated in 175 BC], yet not in anger or in battle."

• v21 “He will be succeeded by a contemptible [vile] person [Antiochus IV Epiphanes] who has not been given the honor of royalty [no claim to throne]. He will invade the kingdom [Syria] when its people feel secure, and he will seize it through intrigue [In 175 BC, he proclaimed himself co-regent with another son of Seleucus IV Philopator, an infant named Antiochus]."

• v22 "Then an overwhelming army will be swept away before him [Rome, ally of Ptolemaic Egypt's was embroiled in the Third Macedonian War]; both it and a prince of the covenant will be destroyed. [In 171 BC, Antiochus had deposed the High Priest Jason and replaced him with Menelaus]"

• v23 "After coming to an agreement with him [Antiochus IV Epiphanes], he [Menelaus] will act deceitfully [Menelaus offered Antiochus a large bribe to secure the office of High Priest], and with only a few people he will rise to power."

• v24 "When the richest provinces [Cypress and Egypt] feel secure, he [Antiochus IV Epiphanes] will invade them and will achieve what neither his fathers nor his forefathers did. He will distribute plunder, loot and wealth among his followers. He will plot the overthrow of fortresses—but only for a time."

• v25 “With a large army [Antiochus IV Epiphanes] he will stir up his strength and courage against the king of the South [Ptolemy VI Philometor]. The king of the South will wage war with a large and very powerful army, but he will not be able to stand [in 170 BC, the Ptolemaic army set out from the border fort of Pelusium to invade Palestine and attack Antiochus IV's army, but they were intercepted and defeated in the Sinai] because of the plots devised against him [two prominent Ptolemaic generals, Comanus and Cineas rejected the friendship agreement and Ptolemy VI's authority, declaring Ptolemy VIII the sole king]."

• v26 "Those who eat from the king’s provisions [two prominent Ptolemaic generals, Comanus and Cineas] will try to destroy him [Ptolemy VI Philometor launched a military coup and took control of the Egyptian government]; his army will be swept away, and many will fall in battle. [In 169 BC, Antiochus IV was given intelligence that Egypt would attack by ships, but he was ready and defeated them and invaded Lower Egypt. Since Egypt was allied with Rome, withdrew from the city of Alexandria. Rome in middle of 3rd Macedonian War.]"

• v27 "The two [Egyptian] kings [Ptolemy VI and Ptolemy VIII Euergetes], with their hearts bent on evil, will sit at the same table and lie to each other, but to no avail, because an end will still come at the appointed time."

• v28 "The king of the North [Antiochus IV Epiphanes] will return to his own country with great wealth, but his heart will be set against the holy covenant [sacked Jerusalem and killed many]. He will take action against it and then return to his own country."

• v29 “At the appointed time he [Antiochus IV Epiphanes] will invade the South again [2nd attack on Egypt in 168 BC], but this time the outcome will be different from what it was before [Roman Senate sent someone to tell him to withdraw his troops].

• v30 Ships of the western coastlands [Kittim / Cypress by the Roman Navy] will oppose him [In 168 BC, Roman General Gaius Popillius Laenas confronted Antiochus IV Epiphanes at the town of Eleusis and forced him to agree to a settlement, bringing the war to an end], and he will lose heart [enraged and great humiliated by the intervention of the Romans]. Then he will turn back and vent his fury [enraged by Jewish rejection of his chosen candidate, Menelaus, for High Priest] against the holy covenant [Judaism and the Temple Sacrifices]. He will return [168 BC] and show favor to those who forsake [pro-Greek faction of apostate Jews called "Hellenizers"] the holy covenant [he attacked Jerusalem and restored Menelaus, killing many Jews].

• v31 “His armed forces will rise up to desecrate the temple fortress and will abolish the daily sacrifice. Then they will set up the abomination [of the Temple] that causes desolation [unholy]. [desecrated the temple by sacrificing a great swine at the image of Moses, and at the altar of God that stood in the outward court, and sprinkled them with the blood of the sacrifice; stopped the regular temple sacrifices, and set up a statue of Zeus in the temple whose features were made to resemble Antiochus IV; he forced the high priest and the other Jews to eat swine's flesh]

• v32 With flattery he will corrupt those who have violated the covenant [Hellenizers who compromise], but the people who know their God [a remnant of traditionalist Jews] will firmly resist him [Maccabee Revolt].

• v33 “Those who are wise [non-Hellenistic Jews] will instruct many, though for a time they will fall by the sword or be burned or captured or plundered. [persecution under Antiochus IV Epiphanes of Maccabees and supporting Jews]"

• v34 When they fall, they will receive a little help, and many who are not sincere will join them."

• v35 Some of the wise will stumble [seek help from Gentile nations like Romans and Parthians], so that they may be refined, purified and made spotless [suffering ordained by God until Messiah comes] until the time of the end [The Tribulation], for it will still come at the appointed time.​ [Jewish people will continue to graciously suffer, but not cut them off, throughout history until the Second Coming]

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