Prophecy is the best tool we have to show the reliability and inspiration of scripture

1. Prophetic Evidence for Biblical Reliability Prophecy is the best tool we have to show the reliability and inspiration of scripture In this class we will be looking at prophecies that support the supernatural inspiration of the Bible from the book of Daniel We already discussed the date of the book of Daniel and showed that historically what the Bible tells us is true about the timeframe it was written Much info comes from: http://www.truth-that-matters.com/daniel.htm

2. The Statue Dream/Prophecy Daniel 2:31-35: “You, O king, were watching; and behold, a great image! This great image, whose splendor was excellent, stood before you; and its form was awesome. 32 This image’s head was of fine gold, its chest and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze, 33 its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay.34 You watched while a stone was cut out without hands, which struck the image on its feet of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces…”

3. Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold were crushed together, and became like chaff from the summer threshing floors; the wind carried them away so that no trace of them was found. And the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.” As the king slept, he saw a great statue with a head of fine gold, a chest and arms of silver, a belly and thighs of bronze, legs of iron, and feet partly of iron and partly of clay.

4. The first kingdom is King Nebuchadnezzar's own kingdom of Babylon for, Daniel is told, "the God of heaven has given [Nebuchadnezzar] a kingdom, power, strength, and glory" (v. 38). The Babylonian kingdom reached its peak during Daniel's time. After Babylon "shall arise another kingdom, inferior to yours..." (v. 39). This was Medo-Persia, which conquered Babylon in the fifth century B.C. After the second kingdom, Daniel is told shall arise "...another, a third kingdom of bronze, which shall rule over all the earth" (v. 39).

5. This prophecy was fulfilled approximately three centuries after Daniel's death. At this time, Medo-Persia was conquered by Greece, which rose to worldwide power in the third century B.C. Just as Daniel foretold, this third kingdom was known for its extensive use of bronze. The fourth kingdom is somewhat different from the previous three:

6. "And the fourth kingdom shall be as strong as iron, inasmuch as iron breaks in pieces and shatters everything; and like iron that crushes, that kingdom will break in pieces and crush all the others." While not specifically identified, there is little question that this kingdom is Rome, which conquered Greece sometime between 250 - 30 B.C. At its height, the Roman Empire comprised almost all of the Western world known at the time, including most of Europe, the Middle East, Egypt, and North Africa.

7. Prophesying the silent years "And now I will declare the truth to you: Behold, three more kings shall stand up in Persia; and the fourth shall be rich in all greater riches. And when he is strong through his riches, he shall stir up all against the kingdom of Greece." (11:2) This prophecy is being spoken at the time Cyrus is still alive, telling the future of the Persian and Greek Kingdoms

8. Cyrus died in 529 BC. He was succeeded by Cambyses Ahauseurus: King # 1 Then came Magus Artaxerxes (in 522 BC): King # 2 Then came Darius Ahauseurus (in 521 BC): King # 3 Then came Xerxes Ahauseurus (in 485 BC): King # 4 According to Daniel 11:2, Xerxes Ahauseurus should be a very rich and powerful king who "stirs up all against Greece". It is true that hostilities between the two groups had existed prior to Xerxes rule in Persia

9. In 481 B.C. Xerxes gathered an army of almost five million men (1 million soldiers) to march on Greece The ancient historian Justin (Trogus) says: "There was such an infinite abundance in his kingdom, that when whole rivers failed the multitude of his army, yet his wealth could not be exhausted."

10. "And a mighty king shall stand up who shall rule with great authority and do according to his will." (11:3) After Xerxes Ahauseurus, the Persian empire was in decline. So this verse would have to refer to Alexander the Great, who defeated Darius Codomannus the Persian Emperor in 331 BC at Gaugamela. "And when he stands up his kingdom shall be broken in pieces and shall be divided to the four winds of the heavens, and not to his posterity, nor according to his authority with which he ruled. For his kingdom shall be plucked up and [given] to others besides these." (11:4)

11. After Alexander died, the following division was agreed upon in 311 BC. Egypt, Libya and Arabia fro Ptolemy Lagus [South] Europe for Cassander [West] Lysimachus gets Thrace [North] Antigonus (succeeded by Seleucis) gets Asia [East] None of these were as powerful as Alexander. Moreover, there were "others besides these" who got smaller fragments of Alexander's kingdom.

12. In 301 BC. Seleucus and Demetrius joined forces. Their posterity were called the Seleucids, the kings of the north, whereas Ptolemy joined himself with Lysimachus - the Ptolemies, or the kings of the South From verse 5 forward, Daniel refers to the kingdom of Asia (headquartered in Syria) as the North, and Egypt as the South, in deference to their positions relative to Israel "And the king of the south shall be strong. And [one] of his rulers, even he will gain strength over him, and he will rule. His dominion [shall be] a great dominion." (11:5)

13. Ptolemy Lagus of Egypt was strong and eventually allowed his son Ptolemy Philadelphus ("one of his rulers“) to reign with him and eventually took over the kingdom when his father died In what way will "he will gain strength over him"? Ptolemy Philadelphus had 33339 cities under his control and was strong than his father even when his father was still alive Meanwile in Syria, Seleucis died in 280 BC. He’s succeeded by Antiochus Soter (died in 261 BC) succeeded by his son Antiochus Theos who fought against Ptolemy Philadelphus

14. Daniel 11:6a "And at the end of years they shall join together, and the daughter of the king of the south shall come to the king of the north to make an agreement." Ptolemy Philadelphus didn’t want to continue fighting against Antiochus Theos and they made a treaty in 261 BC. Ptolemy gave Antiochus his daughter (Berenice) to wife

15. "But she shall not retain the power of the arm. And he will not stand, nor his arm. But she and those who brought her [shall be] given up, as well as the one who begot her and who supported her in [these] times." (11:6b) Ptolemy had planned that Berenice would win over the affection of Antiochus Theos, and convince him to treat his earlier wife Laodice, as a concubine. However, in 246 BC, Antiochus Theos rekindled his romance with Laodice.

16. For her part, she feared that he may return to Berenice, and so she poisoned him so her son Seleucus Callinicus could succeeded him. Laodice also besieged and then poisoned Berenice and her offspring. Meanwhile in Egypt, Ptolemy Philadelphus died and was succeeded by his son Ptolemy Eurgetes. Just as Daniel predicted, Berenice did not "stand" [live long and prosper], nor did "the one who begot her", Ptolemy Philadelphus. When the cities of Asia heard that she was besieged, they tried their best to rescue her, but they were unsuccessful. This fulfilled the last part of Daniel 11:6.

17. Daniel 11:7 "But out of the shoots of her roots one will stand [in] his place, and he shall come with an army and will enter into the fortress of the king of the north. And he will act against them and prevail." "Out of the shoot of her roots" - who's that? From the wording, it has to be a sibling. Berenice's roots were her father Ptolemy Philadelphus and his wife. Another shoot, out of the same roots was her brother Ptolemy Eurgetes. When he heard that she was killed by Laodice, he marched into Syria and killed Laodice. He conquered nearly the whole of West Asia/Middle East. He wasted Seleucis' kingdom - just as Daniel had predicted nearly 300 years in advance!!

18. Da 11:8,9 "And he will also bring their gods with their cast images, along with their possessions of silver and gold vessels, into captivity to Egypt. And he will continue more years than the king of the north. And the king of the south will come into [his] kingdom and will return to his own land." He brought huge plunder to Egypt (silver + Syrian idols). He even brought back the Egyptian idols that Cambyses the Persian king had taken to Persia when he returned to Egypt in 245 BC.

19. Seleucis Callinicus died in 226 BC. Ptolemy Eurgetes died in 221 BC, and was succeeded by his effeminate and wanton son Ptolemy Philopator. Seleucis had two sons, Ceraunus and Antiochus the Great. Da 11:10 "But his sons shall be stirred up and shall gather a multitude of great forces. And [one] certainly shall come and overflow and pass through. And he will return to his fortress and be stirred up." "His sons" [plural] becomes "one" [singular]. How's that? Ceraunus was poisoned by his friends in 223 BC. That leaves Antiochus the Great.

20. He recovered the parts of Syria that were annexed from his father. He was so convinced that Ptolemy Philopator was an incapable king that he attempted an invasion of Egypt. Da 11:11,12 "And the king of the south will be bitter and will go out and fight with him, with the king of the north. And he [the northern king] shall raise a great multitude, but the multitude shall be given into his [the southern king's] hand. And he will cause a vast innumerable number to fall, but he will not prevail."

21. The two armies met at Raphia, between Egypt and Syria, in 217 BC. Philopator (surprisingly) defeated Antiochus, who went back to Syria. Philopator returned with much rejoicing (and many prisoners) to Egypt.  Although he vanquished a huge army of Antiochus the Great, Ptolemy Philopator was not able to "prevail" because he did not capture Antiochus. "And when he has carried away the multitude, his heart will be lifted up. " (Daniel 11:12) Ptolemy Philopator returned home and went back to his luxurious lifestyle.

22. After returning, he started persecuting the Jews, and tried to get them to renounce their God. He appointed a day to massacre all those who refused to stop worshipping God. He gathered many Jews together at Alexandria and was going to crush them with his elephants Instead the elephants turned around and trampled his soldiers (not the Jews) and he took this as a sign

23. In 215 BC, Ptolemy Philopator had to face a rebellion in Egypt. n 204 BC, Ptolemy Philopator died and was succeeded by his son Ptolemy Epiphanes, who was then just 5 years old. The affairs of the kingdom were managed by Aristomenes. "For the king of the north shall return and raise a greater multitude than the former. And at the end of some years, he shall come to attack with a great army and with much equipment. And in those times many shall stand up against the king of the south." (Daniel 11:13,14a)

24. Antiochus the Great assembled a huge army from the upper regions of Babylon.  He even allied himself with Philip king of Macedonia to conquer Egypt. Many of the regions under Ptolemy began rebelling. Meanwhile, what would the Jews be up to? "And the sons of the violent ones [transgressors] of your people shall rise up to fulfill the vision, but they shall stumble." (Daniel 11:14b) This was fulfilled by the high priest Onias who fled to Egypt with a group of Jews to “fulfill” a prophecy

25. Daniel 11:15 "So the king of the north shall come and build up a siege mound and seize a fortified city. And the forces of the south shall not stand, nor his choice people, for there [will be] no strength to resist. But he who comes against him will do as he desires, and no one shall stand before him." In 204 BC, Antiochus the Great besieged Sidon, which was a garrison of Scopas (one of Ptolemy Epiphanes' generals.) In an attempt to save him, Ptolemy sent other generals, (Eropus, Menocles and Damoxenus) But they couldn’t stop the siege, and Scopas, overcome by famine, surrendered and was taken.

26. Daniel 11:16 "And he shall stand in the glorious land, with destruction in his hand." The glorious land refers to Israel. Many wars between the North and South were fought there Daniel 11:17 "And he shall set his face to go in with the might of his whole kingdom, and upright ones with him; thus shall he do. And [he] shall give the daughter of women to him, to destroy it. But she shall not stand, nor be for him."

27. Antiochus not only wished to take possession of Syria, Cilicia, and Lycia, and the other provinces, but also to extend his empire to Egypt. He (Antiochus) betroth his daughter, Cleopatra, to young Ptolemy in the seventh year of his reign; and in his thirteenth year she was given to him in marriage, professedly endowed with all of Coele-syria and Judaea as her marriage-portion. However, instead of supporting him [her father], she supported Ptolemy Epihanes, her new husband (193 BC)

28. Da 11:18 "After this he shall turn his face to the coastlands and shall capture many. But a ruler shall make his reproach cease for him, but his reproach shall return to him." Antiochus the Great turned his attention (192 BC) to the Mediterranean region [coastlands]. 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.”

29. The Romans did not take well Antiochus invading that region, and after several battles they defeated him and he retreated back to Syria He tried to make peace with them and they said he must repay the cost of the war, let go of areas in their region, and send hostages to be kept in Rome (“The reproach that he tried to inflict on others returned to him.”) Because of this financial burden he tried to plunder the temple of Zeus, and was killed by locals (he stumbled and fell, and was found no more.)

30. Daniel 11:20 "Then [one] who imposes taxes shall stand in his place, in the glorious kingdom. But within a few days he will be broken in pieces, but not in anger nor in battle." This would have to be the son of Antiochus the Great, namely Seleucus Philopator. He raised taxes to pay back Rome, but was soon poisoned and died.

31. Daniel 11:21 "And a vile person shall stand up in his place, and they shall not give to him the honor as king. But he shall come in with quietness and obtain [the] kingdom by intrigues." After Seleucus death in 175 BC, the kingdom should have gone to his son Demetrius (who was poisoned in Rome). However, Antiochus Epiphanes, a son of Antiochus the Great, arrived and obtained the kingdom.

32. Daniel 11:22 "And with the forces of the overflow they shall be swept from before him, and be broken, and also the ruler of the covenant. 23  And after they join themselves to him, he will practice deceit; for he shall come and shall be strong with a few people.24  He will go in peaceably, even into the rich places of the province. And he shall do what his fathers have not done, nor his fathers’ fathers. He shall plunder and spoil and scatter goods among them. And he shall devise his plots against the strongholds, even for a time."

33. The people swept before him were those in wanting the throne as well His prevailing over "the ruler of the covenant" refers to Antiochus Epiphanes removal of Onias III, the high priest at the time. This was because a Jew named Jason, the brother of Onias III (the high priest) told Antiochus Epiphanes he would pay him for the position of high priest. Antiochus Epiphanes made Jason high priest and he brought Hellenism into the Jewish temple and caused them to worship false Gods

34. "And he will stir up his power and his courage against the king of the south with a great army." - Daniel 11:25a In 173 BC, Cleopatra died. She was given as wife to Ptolemy Epiphanes, along with som land as dowry. Now Antiochus Epiphanes denied this, and used it as an excuse to attack Ptolemy Philometor, king of Egypt. Meanwhile, in 172 BC, Jason lost his high priesthood to Menelaus, another traitor, who expelled Jason to the land of the Ammonites.

35. Antiochus Epiphanes led a "great army" towards Egypt in 170 BC Daniel 11:26-26"And the king of the south will be stirred up to battle with a great and very mighty army. But he shall not stand, for they will devise plots against him. Yea, those who eat his food shall destroy him, and his army shall overflow. And many will fall down slain." - Antiochus Epiphanes won the war and defeated the King of the south like the Bible said

36. "And both of these kings shall have it in their hearts to do evil, and they will speak lies at one table. But it will not prosper, for the end shall still [be] at the appointed time." This seems to refer to an earlier meeting of Ptolemy Philometor and Antiochus Epiphanes at Memphis, where Antiochus Epiphanes pretended to be a friendly to the young Ptolemy Philometor. "And he will return to his land with great wealth." Daniel 11:28a

37. "And his heart shall be against the holy covenant. And he will act, and he shall return to his own land.“ (v28) He Holy Covenant refers to the Jewish people! Historically a rumor had spread in Judea that Antiochus was dead and there was a fight in Judea between the two priests which was interpreted as a rebellion because of his death and he thought the people were happy he died. Mad with fury,  he rushed into Jerusalem, and killed or enslaved eighty thousand men.

38. He entered the Holy of Holies of the Jewish temple, and sacrificed a sow, and sprinkled the broth on the Jewish scriptures and temple. He forced Menelaus and other Jews to eat swine's flesh. Da 11:29,30 "At the appointed time he will return and come against the south. But it will not be as the former or as the latter. For ships from Kittim will come against him. And he will be grieved and return and be furious against [the] holy covenant. And he will act, and he will return and give heed to [those] whoforsake the holy covenant."

39. According to Easton's Bible dictionary, Kittim is a general reference to "the islands and coasts of the Mediterranean and the races that inhabit them". When Antiochus Epiphanes was at Pelusium in Egypt, he was met by Roman envoys. He tried to be friendly with them, but they told him to stop his war against Egypt and go back home. He said he would talk with some people about it and decide, and the Romans drew a circle and said don’t leave it until you agree, so he did

40. Antiochus Epiphanes headed home but had to pass through Judea again, and he took his anger out on them Antiochus Epiphanes banned the Jewish religion. He insisted that Jews should get into idolatry, eat non-kosher stuff, and remain uncircumcised. In this he was helped by renegade Jews - those "who forsake the holy covenant".

41. Daniel 11:31-32: “And forcesshall be mustered by him, and they shall defile the sanctuary fortress; then they shall take away the daily sacrifices, and place there the abomination of desolation. 32 Those who do wickedly against the covenant he shall corrupt with flattery; but the people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits.” This all happened, he kept Jews from offering sacrifices at set times, he brought harlots into the Temple, and erected an idol to Zeus in the Holy of Holies This is what gave rise to the Maccabean Revolt

42. Animal prophecy In Daniel 8, Daniel records a vision he had in 553 BC (Daniel 8:1), in which kingdoms were represented by animals: "Then I lifted up mine eyes, and saw, and, behold, there stood before the river a ram which had two horns: and the two horns were high; but one was higher than the other, and the higher came up last." (8:3) An angel explains to Daniel: "The ram which you saw with two horns are the kings of Media and Persia." (8:20)

43. This certainly makes sense in the light of history. When the Medes and Persians defeated the Babylonians and set up their kingdom in 538 BC, it was a Median, Darius, who became emperor. However, later on, the Persians called the shots, and took the kingdom to great heights. "I saw the ram pushing westward and northward and southward, so that no beasts could stand before him, and no one could deliver out of his hand. But he did according to his will and became great." (8:4)

44. Pushing Westwards, Northwards and Southwards! That's exactly what the Persian kings after Cyrus did. The Persians ruled the entire middle east and more for nearly 200 years. "And as I was considering, behold, a male goat came from the west, over the face of the whole earth and did not touch the ground. And the he goat [had] a conspicuous horn between his eyes." (8:5) Who's this? "[The angel said to Daniel] And the male goat is the king of Greece. And the great horn between his eyes is the first king." (8:20)

45. Alexander the Great!! According to Daniel, Alexander would move so fast eastwards that he resembles a galloping animal. "And I saw him come close to the ram."  (8:7) In 334 BC, Alexander the Great crossed over into Asia, liberating various Greek cities from Persian rule. In 332 BC, Alexander annexes Israel from the Persians - the high priest Jaddua who welcomed him to Jerusalem actually showed him this very passage in Daniel and assured him that he would defeat Darius Codomanuus (the then Persian king).

46. "And he was enraged against him." (8:7) Alexander accused Darius Codomanuus (the then Persian king) of plotting to kill his father, king Philip of Macedonia. Shortly before the battle between them, Darius sent envoys asking for terms of peace. Alexander replied that Darius was no noble enemy but a malefactor who deserved to perish. "And he struck the ram and broke his two horns. And there was no power in the ram to stand before him. But he threw him down to the ground and trampled him. And there was no one that could deliver the ram from his hand." (8:7)

47. In 331 BC, the armies of Alexander and Darius came within sight of each other at Gaugamela. One of Alexander's advisors advised him to attack Darius in the night, so his soldiers wouldn't get scared by seeing the huge Persian army. Alexander said he wasn't there to steal a victory. He allowed his army to have a good night's rest (unlike Darius), and the next day, Alexander crushed the Persians, just as Daniel saw in his vision 182 years in advance! "Then the male goat became very great." (8:8)

48. Alexander conquered all that belonged to the Persians. So much did the Chaldeans respect him that they gave him their 2000 year old astronomical records (which eventually reached Aristotle). Alexander even came to India and defeated king Porus. "And when he became strong, the great horn was broken." (8:8) Of course. Alexander died in 323 BC at age 32 - he'd been king for just 12 years.

49. "And in its place came up four conspicuous ones toward the four winds of the heavens." (8:8) When Alexander died, his kingdom was divided into various parts, each ruled by people he had willed. A lot of turbulence followed as these people fought against each other. By 311 BC, the main players were: Egypt, Libya and Arabia fro Ptolemy Lagus Europe for Cassander Lysimachus gets Thrace Antigonus gets Asia (who was later replaced by Seleucus)

50. Just as Daniel said, 242 years in advance. "And out of one of them came a little horn which became very great, toward the south, and toward the east, and toward the beautiful [land]." (8:9) This would have to be Antiochus, the Seleucid who was surnamed Epiphanes (Illustrious) by his Syrian subjects. The beautiful land, in prophecy, refers to Israel [Palestine], the only patch of ground that God specifically calls "My Land". "And it became great, [even] to the host of the heavens. And it caused some of the host and of the stars to fall to the ground, and trampled them." (8:10)