Welcome to Our Free Daily Devotional Email, If you are Receiving this Email for the First Time or a Regular Viewer we are so glad that You are with Us. Don't forget to add: info@USBibleSociety.com to your address book so we'll be sure to land in your inbox. If you no longer wish to receive our Devotion just Reply (STOP) and you will be removed from our list. All Donations Provide Free Bibles for Others.
Friday 6/18/21
Prophecy

 1Also I in the first year of Darius the Mede, even I, stood to confirm and to strengthen him.
 2And now will I shew thee the truth. Behold, there shall stand up yet three kings in Persia; and the fourth shall be far richer than they all: and by his strength through his riches he shall stir up all against the realm of Grecia.
 3And a mighty king shall stand up, that shall rule with great dominion, and do according to his will.
 4And when he shall stand up, his kingdom shall be broken, and shall be divided toward the four winds of heaven; and not to his posterity, nor according to his dominion which he ruled: for his kingdom shall be plucked up, even for others beside those.
 5And the king of the south shall be strong, and one of his princes; and he shall be strong above him, and have dominion; his dominion shall be a great dominion.
 6And in the end of years they shall join themselves together; for the king's daughter of the south shall come to the king of the north to make an agreement: but she shall not retain the power of the arm; neither shall he stand, nor his arm: but she shall be given up, and they that brought her, and he that begat her, and he that strengthened her in these times.
 7But out of a branch of her roots shall one stand up in his estate, which shall come with an army, and shall enter into the fortress of the king of the north, and shall deal against them, and shall prevail:
 8And shall also carry captives into Egypt their gods, with their princes, and with their precious vessels of silver and of gold; and he shall continue more years than the king of the north.
 9So the king of the south shall come into his kingdom, and shall return into his own land.
 10But his sons shall be stirred up, and shall assemble a multitude of great forces: and one shall certainly come, and overflow, and pass through: then shall he return, and be stirred up, even to his fortress.
 11And the king of the south shall be moved with choler, and shall come forth and fight with him, even with the king of the north: and he shall set forth a great multitude; but the multitude shall be given into his hand.
 12And when he hath taken away the multitude, his heart shall be lifted up; and he shall cast down many ten thousands: but he shall not be strengthened by it.
 13For the king of the north shall return, and shall set forth a multitude greater than the former, and shall certainly come after certain years with a great army and with much riches.
 14And in those times there shall many stand up against the king of the south: also the robbers of thy people shall exalt themselves to establish the vision; but they shall fall.
 15So the king of the north shall come, and cast up a mount, and take the most fenced cities: and the arms of the south shall not withstand, neither his chosen people, neither shall there be any strength to withstand.
 16But he that cometh against him shall do according to his own will, and none shall stand before him: and he shall stand in the glorious land, which by his hand shall be consumed.
 17He shall also set his face to enter with the strength of his whole kingdom, and upright ones with him; thus shall he do: and he shall give him the daughter of women, corrupting her: but she shall not stand on his side, neither be for him.
 18After this shall he turn his face unto the isles, and shall take many: but a prince for his own behalf shall cause the reproach offered by him to cease; without his own reproach he shall cause it to turn upon him.
 19Then he shall turn his face toward the fort of his own land: but he shall stumble and fall, and not be found.
 20Then shall stand up in his estate a raiser of taxes in the glory of the kingdom: but within few days he shall be destroyed, neither in anger, nor in battle.
 21And in his estate shall stand up a vile person, to whom they shall not give the honour of the kingdom: but he shall come in peaceably, and obtain the kingdom by flatteries.
 22And with the arms of a flood shall they be overflown from before him, and shall be broken; yea, also the prince of the covenant.
 23And after the league made with him he shall work deceitfully: for he shall come up, and shall become strong with a small people.
 24He shall enter peaceably even upon the fattest places of the province; and he shall do that which his fathers have not done, nor his fathers' fathers; he shall scatter among them the prey, and spoil, and riches: yea, and he shall forecast his devices against the strong holds, even for a time.
 25And he shall stir up his power and his courage against the king of the south with a great army; and the king of the south shall be stirred up to battle with a very great and mighty army; but he shall not stand: for they shall forecast devices against him.
 26Yea, they that feed of the portion of his meat shall destroy him, and his army shall overflow: and many shall fall down slain.
 27And both of these kings' hearts shall be to do mischief, and they shall speak lies at one table; but it shall not prosper: for yet the end shall be at the time appointed.
 28Then shall he return into his land with great riches; and his heart shall be against the holy covenant; and he shall do exploits, and return to his own land.
 29At the time appointed he shall return, and come toward the south; but it shall not be as the former, or as the latter.
 30For the ships of Chittim shall come against him: therefore he shall be grieved, and return, and have indignation against the holy covenant: so shall he do; he shall even return, and have intelligence with them that forsake the holy covenant.
 31And arms shall stand on his part, and they shall pollute the sanctuary of strength, and shall take away the daily sacrifice, and they shall place the abomination that maketh desolate.
 32And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he corrupt by flatteries: but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits.
 33And they that understand among the people shall instruct many: yet they shall fall by the sword, and by flame, by captivity, and by spoil, many days.
 34Now when they shall fall, they shall be holpen with a little help: but many shall cleave to them with flatteries.
 35And some of them of understanding shall fall, to try them, and to purge, and to make them white, even to the time of the end: because it is yet for a time appointed.
 36And the king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done.
 37Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all.
 38But in his estate shall he honour the God of forces: and a god whom his fathers knew not shall he honour with gold, and silver, and with precious stones, and pleasant things.
 39Thus shall he do in the most strong holds with a strange god, whom he shall acknowledge and increase with glory: and he shall cause them to rule over many, and shall divide the land for gain.
 40And at the time of the end shall the king of the south push at him: and the king of the north shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over.
 41He shall enter also into the glorious land, and many countries shall be overthrown: but these shall escape out of his hand, even Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon.
 42He shall stretch forth his hand also upon the countries: and the land of Egypt shall not escape.
 43But he shall have power over the treasures of gold and of silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt: and the Libyans and the Ethiopians shall be at his steps.
 44But tidings out of the east and out of the north shall trouble him: therefore he shall go forth with great fury to destroy, and utterly to make away many.
 45And he shall plant the tabernacles of his palace between the seas in the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and none shall help him.
Today's Scripture Meaning 

Written By: God through Inspiration
Penned By: Daniel
Date Penned: BC 536 (Covering Events BC 605-536)
Overview: Daniel's Visions (c 7-12)
Theme: Daniel's Visions testify that God is in Control (c 7-12)
Message: The Messenger Predicts the Future. (v 1-45) 

Daniel: Chapter 11 Commentary    

(11:1) Babylon was defeated by Medo-Persia. Persia was defeated by Greece under Alexander the Great who conquered most of the Mediterranean and Middle Eastern lands. After Alexander's death the empire was divided into 4 parts. The Ptolemies gained control of the southern section of Palestine, and the Seleucids took the northern part. Verses 1-20 show the conflict between Ptolemies and Seleucids over control of Palestine in the years 300-200 BC. Verses 21-39 describe the persecution of Israel under Antiochus IV Epiphanes. In verse 40-45 the prophecy shifts to the end times. Antiochus IV fades from view and the Antichrist of the last days becomes the center of attention from that point on.

(11:2) The angelic messenger was revealing Israel's future. Only God can reveal future events so clearly. God's work not only deals with the sweeping panorama of history but also focuses on the intricate details of people's lives. God's plans are unshakeable. The fourth Persian King may have been Xerxes I 9486-465 BC) also known as Ahasuerus in the book of Esther, who launched an all out effort against Greece.

(11:3) This mighty king of Greece was Alexander the Great who conquered Medo-Persia and built a huge empire in only 4 years.

(11:4,5) Alexander the Great's empire was eventually divided into 4 nations. These 4 weaker nations were of the following regions: Egypt, Babylonia/Syria, Asia Minor, and Macedonia/Greece. The King of Egypt ("the king of the south") was Ptolemy I

(11:6,7) These prophecies seem to have been fulfilled many years later in the Seleucid wars between Egypt and Syria in 252 BC. Ptolemy II of Egypt ("the south") Gave his daughter Berenice in marriage to Antiochus II of Syria ("the north") to finalize a peace treaty between their 2 lands but Berenice was murdered in Antioch by Antiochus II's former wife, Laodice. Bernice's brother, Ptolemy III, ascended to the Egyptian throne and declared war against the Seleucids to avenge his sister's murder.

(11:9-11) The king of Syria ("the north") was Seleucus II, and the king of Egypt ("the south") was Ptolemy IV.

(11:13) This Syrian king was possibly Antiochus III the Great He defeated many Egyptian cities and pillaged Israel ("the glorious land") He was later defeated by the Romans at Magnesia

(11:20) The successor to Antiochus III was Seleucus IV. He sent Heliodorus to rob and desecrate the Temple treasury in Jerusalem.

(11:21) Seleucus IV was succeeded by his brother, Antiochus IV Epiphanes, who ingratiated himself with the Romans. 

(11:22) The flood revers to the way all opposition against him will be swept away and broken. The prince of the covenant may be the High Priest Onias III who was assassinated b yMenelaus in 171 BC,

(11:27) The 2 treacherous kings were probably Antiochus IV of Syria and Ptolemy VI of Egypt. Treachery and deceit are a power broker's way to position himself over another. But when 2 power brokers try to do this to one another it is a mutually weakening and self-destructive process. It is also futile because God ultimately holds all power in His hands.

(11:29-31) Antiochus IV would again turn his army southward but enemy ships would cause him to retreat. On his way back, he pillaged Jerusalem and polluted the temple and stopped the Jews daily sacrifices. The Sanctuary was polluted when he sacrificed pigs on an alter erected in honor of Zeus. According to Jewish law pigs were unclean and were not be touched or eaten. To sacrifice a pig in the Temple was the worst kind of insult and enemy could level against the Jews. This happened between 168-167 BC.

(11:32) This reference may be to Menelaus, the High Priests. who was one over by Antiochus and conspired with him against the Jews who were loyal to God.

(11:33-34) Those who have spiritual understanding will teach many, but they will also face great persecution. Trying times remind us of our weakness and inability to cope. We must prepare for persecution in this world we live.

(11:35) God's messenger describes a time of trial when even gifted believers may stumble. This could mean a refining process in and through our lives if we choose to sin or fall in our lives. 

(11:36) These verses could refer to Antiochus IV Epiphanes. Tits Vespasian, or the Antichrist. Some of these events seen to have been fulfilled in the past and some seem yet to be fufilled.

(11:37) The "desire of women" refers to Tammuzadonis, a Babylonian fertility god found in Ezekiel chapter 8.

(11:38) The "God of forces" is sometimes believed to be Jupiter or Zeus. The implication is that this king make war his god. More than all predecessors he will wage war on others to glory in the horror's of war.

(11:40) The prophecy takes a turn here. Antiochus IV fades from view and the Antichrist if the last days becomes the center of attention from this point through the rest of the bock of Daniel.
Today's Scripture Application

Each day we walk through the Bible chapter by chapter making an application of our text to help us grow in the Lord. Many applications can be made from each day's text. Today we continue with the Book of Daniel with Chapter 11. In our text today we see Daniel's messenger predicts the future which is the definition of the word prophecy. This prophecy has come to pass with Alexander the Great, Israel's future, future governments, and the end times. In making application we see another account of the Bible being the Word of God is Prophecy. No other religious book contains fulfilled prophecy. These future events that have come to pass and the future events that will come to pass, show us that we can depend and place our faith on the Words on its Pages. How about you? Do you trust the Word of God. Let us learn from our text today and prophecy of Daniel to see that you can trust the Bible for it is the Word of God.
Thank You for Reading Today's Devotional
Contact Me with any Questions or Comments
By Text/Phone (770) 361-3841

ο»ΏSincerely,
Dr. Dave Burnette
Director, The United States Bible Society, Inc.
Today's Prayer Requests

  • Deborah | Please prey for my family and I
  • Jothividya | Myself and my husband have to get good job in India or any other country. Please God help from any one since facing financial problem.
  • Anna | Please pray for strength, wisdom, and courage as I prepare for the bar exam in July and hopefully become an attorney. In Jesus name.
  • John Bro | Pray for the human race. With the adversities of climate change and war, the very future may not be there for generations to come. The human race is at a crossroads. Pray for peace.
  • Kive | Warm greetings from Uganda. Thank you so so much for the incredible Bible daily devotions .They Are so so good for the soul and opening our minds to grasp the truth in the word of God. Keep praying for us as we are still under a lockdown , life ain't easy we are facing it rough ,no work ,Keep praying for us and as well help us reach out to christian organization over there for any food support like Christian aid ministries . God bless you
  • Sunday | Help me pray that God will intervene in my career. my career took a downward swing since 2017 and there is nothing I have not down which I know to do. I have prayed, taken courses privately, sown seeds and attended unsuccessful interviews sessions in many establishments yet nothing to show for it. People who have been my juniors are now ahead of me and even scorned me. O Lord turn things around for me for the glory of your name and the furtherance of the gospel!
  • Jo McDonald | Needing prayers for father's life and health. He is in crucial condition. And he is my only parent I have. God knows I can't lose him.My heart is in so much pain. I need god to guide me and heal my father. To let him please come back home
  • tanisha maggu | may i achieve my goals through my consistent practice.
  • Brent |  for god to give me a godly wife this year for god to gently help me overcome my habitual sin and to heal all my health issues. For god to give me a full time job this year that pays at least 20$ an hour with benefits and that i can do well and serve him. For god to deliver me from all evilο»Ώ