God’s Word for You

Daniel 11:40-41 The beginning of the end

by Pastor Timothy Smith on Sunday, January 25, 2026

From here to the end of the chapter (verses 40-45) we hear a prophecy about the last things that will happen to the Antichrist, and his final end. As with the previous verses, these things do not apply to Antiochus Epiphanes, but to the enemy of the Church, the Antichrist.

40 “At the time of the end the king of the South will attack him. But the king of the North will rush upon him like a storm, with chariots and cavalry, and with many ships. He will invade many countries and sweep through like a flood.

Since the Angel is no longer speaking of the immediate future of the Seleucid kings, “the king of the North” is not Antiochus or his descendants. Therefore “the king of the South” is no longer a Ptolemaic king nor any of the Queens known as Cleopatra (there were many), but an opponent of the Antichrist among human beings: the true Church. But are the kings of the South and North both attacking the same individual, the Antichrist? Or is the king of the North still a representation of the great enemy, that is to say, the Antichrist?

1, If the kings of the North and the South are attacking the Antichrist, then the “him” under attack is a third party, unnamed as such, and is taken to be the Antichrist. He is simply the “him” in “king of the South will attack him” and “the king of the North will rush upon him.” If this is the case, it would be unusual and grammatically awkward for the “he” of “He will invade” to be this same, unnamed opponent in this three-way conflict. But respected Lutheran commentators such as Leupold and Jeske take the verse in this way.

2, If the kings of the North and South are attacking one another, which is grammatically in keeping with the rest of the chapter, then the “him” of “the king of the South will attack him” would be the king of the North—and he is the last named king in the previous section. And likewise, the “him” of “the king of the North will rush upon him” would be the king of the South. In this case, the king of the North would continue to represent the main enemy of the chapter, the spiritual successor to the Seleucid kings like Antiochus IV, and therefore the Antichrist. And then he, the Antichrist, would be the subject of “he will invade many countries,” since this is in keeping with Hebrew grammar as the last named subject of the verse. This is the way that I understand the passage, but I do not stand on this interpretation condemning anyone else’s understanding. I simply think that it is more in keeping (1) with Hebrew grammar, and (2) with the way the rest of the chapter is written. Both of these points fall under the heading of internal evidence.

In either case, many weapons and resources are available in this conflict. Using the language of the time, the battle would be “like a storm, with chariots and cavalry, and with many ships.” Whether these are the weapons of the Antichrist’s enemies (Leupold and Jeske’s view) or the weapons of the Antichrist (my view), the fighting would be fierce.

41 He will invade the Beautiful Land, and a great many will stumble, but Edom and Moab and the main part of the Ammonites shall escape from his power.

Here Jeske and I are in agreement that “he” in his verse is the Antichrist. He will attack “the Beautiful Land,” which in a literal sense would be Israel, but in a vision or prophecy (this is both) it means the true Israel, which is the Holy Christian Church. And in the Antichrist’s assault on the Church, many will stumble. This is a way of speaking about stumbling into his errors and listening to his lies, since those are his chief weapons.

What about Edom, Moab and the Ammonites? These were ancient enemies of God’s people. The first time Israel encountered Edom as a nation was when Edom refused to let them pass through their land on the way to the Promised land under Moses (Numbers 20:18). Moab’s king, Balak, was the one who hired the false prophet Balaam to curse Israel (Numbers 22:7). And the Ammonites attacked Israel in the days of the Judges (Judges 11:12). These nations, the Angel told Daniel, would “escape from the power” of the Antichrist. What does that mean? It means that the enemies of the church are not bothered by the Antichrist. Just as with Satan, there is no need to attack unbelievers who are already condemned on account of their unbelief.

Why is “the main part” of the Ammonites singled out? This term could also mean “the best part” (EHV) or “the leaders” (NIV). While we can’t be certain, the words echo other things that God has said, leaving room for a remnant of believers even within the boundaries of unbelievers (2 Kings 19:4; Isaiah 10:21; Jeremiah 23:3; Micah 2:12; Zephaniah 2:7). Within some of the true Church’s opponents there might be found some believers who have heard about Christ and who have faith in him. For what is needed to create faith apart from the preaching of the Gospel? And when the Gospel is proclaimed, even by a false teacher, or even in mockery, it is possible for the Holy Spirit to work faith in the weak, the lost, the simple, who know only that they are lost, and who hear the words of the salvation offered through Jesus Christ.

Pray for them! Pray that the lost will hear the Gospel and believe it. But it would be better still if we carried the Gospel into the world, proclaiming it as the truth, and holding out the promise of “the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.”

In Christ,
Pastor Timothy Smith

 

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