Bible Text: Daniel 11:2-35 | Preacher: Pastor Joe Ricchuiti | Series: Daniel, Troubling Times for God’s People

1.  Dr. Merrill F. Unger writes about Daniel chapter 11: “This marvelous pre-writing of history by the Spirit of prophecy through Daniel of the 6th century B.C. seems impossible to rationalistic critics and is the chief reason for the rejection of the genuineness of the book of Daniel.  History has minutely verified these prophecies fulfilled by Persian kings, 2; Alexander the Great, 3-4; the Ptolemies of Egypt, 5, ‘the king of the South’ and the Seleucids of Syria, ‘the king of the North’, 6-35.  Even the Romans, 30…”

2.  Daniel is writing in approximately 536.B.C. and records events, Kings, and Kingdoms that would not come into existence for several hundred more years.  J. Vernon McGee writes of this passage: “The prophecy of this chapter is so detailed and so accurate that the liberal critic will not accept the fact that it was written before it happened.  He insists that Daniel’s prophecy was written after it had become history.”  “Obviously, this chapter before us is one of the most remarkable passages of pre-written history in the Word of God, and conservative scholarship can sustain the early date of Daniel.  This means that you have a miracle on your hands.”

3.  Though these prophecies concern the people of Israel and the nations around her, we can make several applications for Christians today:

-Fulfilled prophecy should give us the utmost confidence in the accuracy and reliability of the Word of God.  We can trust our lives to God’s Word, the Bible.

-God in His sovereignty sets up one ruler and puts down another according to His purposes.

-God’s plans always succeed

-God cares for His people and will deliver them in the midst of difficulties.