The Clockwork of Tyranny: God's Sovereignty in a Vile Man's Reign Text: Daniel 11:20-28
Introduction: History Written in Advance
The eleventh chapter of Daniel is one of the most stunning and minutely detailed prophecies in all of Scripture. It is so precise, so historically accurate, that liberal scholars, who begin with the presupposition that such a thing is impossible, have no choice but to insist that it must have been written after the events it describes. They call it a vaticinium ex eventu, a prophecy from the event. But of course, this is not a scholarly conclusion; it is a faith statement. It is the desperate maneuver of a man who refuses to acknowledge that the God of the Bible is the sovereign Lord of history, who declares the end from the beginning (Isaiah 46:10).
For the Christian, this chapter is a profound source of comfort and stability. It demonstrates that God does not just govern the big picture, the broad strokes of history. He governs the details. He orchestrates the rise and fall of specific kings, their tax policies, their military campaigns, their backroom deals, and their personal betrayals. Nothing is outside His control. The intrigues of wicked men, their lust for power, their deceptions, and their blasphemies are all woven into the tapestry of His perfect plan. God is not in heaven wringing His hands, wondering what Antiochus Epiphanes will do next. He told us what Antiochus would do centuries before he was born.
This passage we are considering today zooms in on a particularly nasty character in the line of the Seleucid kings, the "king of the North." He is a man who comes to power not through noble succession or military might, but through flattery, intrigue, and deception. He is a vile, contemptible person. And yet, as we watch his career unfold, we see the steady, sovereign hand of God at every turn. This is crucial for us to grasp. We live in a world filled with political turmoil, with despised leaders, with intrigue and deception. It is easy to become dismayed, to think that the world is spinning out of control. But Daniel 11 teaches us that the clockwork of tyranny is set by the hand of God. He raises up wicked rulers, and He breaks them, all according to His appointed time, and all for the sake of His covenant people.
This detailed history, written in advance, is not here to satisfy our idle curiosity about the past. It is here to steel our nerves for the present and the future. It teaches us that no matter how dark the times, no matter how vile the ruler, God is on His throne, and His purposes will stand. The schemes of men, however malicious, are but a footnote in the grand story of redemption He is writing.
The Text
"Then in his place one will stand who will have an oppressor pass through the Jewel of his kingdom; yet within a few days he will be broken, though not in anger nor in battle. And in his place a despised person will stand, to whom the splendor of the kingdom has not been given, but he will come in a time of ease and take hold of the kingdom by intrigue. But the overflowing might will be flooded away before him and broken, and also the prince of the covenant. And after an alliance is made with him, he will practice deception, and he will go up and gain power with a small force of people. In a time of ease he will enter the richest parts of the province, and he will do what his fathers never did, nor his fathers’ fathers; he will distribute plunder, spoil, and possessions among them, and he will devise his schemes against strongholds, but only for a time. And he will stir up his strength and heart against the king of the South with a great military force; so the king of the South will wage war with an extremely large and mighty military force for war; but he will not stand, for schemes will be devised against him. And those who eat his choice food will break him, and his military force will overflow, but many will fall down slain. And as for both kings, their hearts will be intent on evil, and they will speak falsehood at the same table; but it will not succeed, for the end is still to come at the appointed time. Then he will return to his land with great possessions; but his heart will be set against the holy covenant, and he will take action and then return to his own land."
(Daniel 11:20-28 LSB)
The Tax Man and the Despised Man (vv. 20-21)
We begin with a brief and ignominious reign, followed by the rise of our central character.
"Then in his place one will stand who will have an oppressor pass through the Jewel of his kingdom; yet within a few days he will be broken, though not in anger nor in battle." (Daniel 11:20)
History tells us exactly who this was. After Antiochus the Great (the king of the North from the previous section) was defeated by the Romans, his son, Seleucus IV Philopator, took the throne. His reign was defined by one thing: raising money. He was under a heavy tribute to Rome, and he sent his minister, Heliodorus, the "oppressor" or tax collector, throughout the "Jewel of his kingdom," which is a reference to Israel, to raise the necessary funds. The apocryphal book of 2 Maccabees tells us Heliodorus even attempted to plunder the temple treasury in Jerusalem. But his reign was short, just as the prophecy said. "Within a few days he will be broken." He reigned for about twelve years, a short time for a king, and was poisoned by that same minister, Heliodorus. He was not killed in a rage or in a great battle, but quietly, through intrigue. The precision is breathtaking.
This short verse is a powerful reminder that God's sovereignty extends even to the treasury department. He determines not only who reigns, but how they fund their reign and how it comes to an end. This is the God who numbers the hairs on our head and also the coins in a king's coffer.
"And in his place a despised person will stand, to whom the splendor of the kingdom has not been given, but he will come in a time of ease and take hold of the kingdom by intrigue." (Daniel 11:21)
Enter the villain of our story: Antiochus IV Epiphanes. The rightful heir to the throne was Demetrius, the son of Seleucus IV, but he was a hostage in Rome. Antiochus, the brother of the previous king, was not in the direct line of succession. He was a "despised person," considered by many to be an eccentric buffoon, but he was cunning. He seized the throne not by right, but by flattery, bribery, and political maneuvering. He arrived "in a time of ease," when the kingdom was not expecting a power struggle, and took hold of it "by intrigue." He is a perfect picture of a political slimeball, a man who gains power through whispers and backroom deals rather than by character or strength.
This is a recurring pattern in history. God often allows contemptible men to rise to power. This serves to test His people, to judge the wicked, and to demonstrate that the strength of a kingdom is not ultimately in its rulers but in the Lord. When God's people begin to trust in princes, God has a way of giving them princes not worth trusting.
A Career Built on Deception (vv. 22-24)
Antiochus's entire reign is characterized by deceit and treachery.
"But the overflowing might will be flooded away before him and broken, and also the prince of the covenant." (Daniel 11:22 LSB)
Despite his slimy ascent, Antiochus proves to be ruthlessly effective. Armies that rise against him are "flooded away." This includes his rival claimants to the throne and external enemies. But notice the specific target mentioned: "and also the prince of the covenant." This is a reference to the Jewish high priest. During this period, Antiochus deposed the righteous high priest, Onias III, and sold the office to the highest bidder, first to Onias's brother Jason, and then to another man named Menelaus, both of whom were wicked Hellenizers. Onias III, the "prince of the covenant," was eventually assassinated at Antiochus's command. This was not just a political move; it was a direct assault on the worship of the true God. The tyrant knows that to control the people, he must first corrupt their worship.
"And after an alliance is made with him, he will practice deception, and he will go up and gain power with a small force of people. In a time of ease he will enter the richest parts of the province, and he will do what his fathers never did, nor his fathers’ fathers; he will distribute plunder, spoil, and possessions among them, and he will devise his schemes against strongholds, but only for a time." (Daniel 11:23-24 LSB)
Here we see his playbook. He makes alliances only to break them. He uses deception as his primary tool. He gains power not through massive armies at first, but with a "small force," relying on surprise and treachery. He enters the "richest parts of the province" in a "time of ease," when their guard is down. Then he does something unprecedented: "he will distribute plunder, spoil, and possessions among them." He was a master of bribery. He would seize the wealth of one area and use it to buy the loyalty of another. He was a political Robin Hood in reverse, stealing from his enemies to pay off his cronies. This was a new and effective form of political control, and it was all part of his "schemes against strongholds." But notice the crucial caveat at the end: "but only for a time." God has a stopwatch on every tyrant. Their schemes have an expiration date.
The Southern Campaign and Betrayal (vv. 25-27)
The prophecy now turns to Antiochus's military conflict with his great rival, the Ptolemaic kingdom in Egypt, the "king of the South."
"And he will stir up his strength and heart against the king of the South with a great military force; so the king of the South will wage war with an extremely large and mighty military force for war; but he will not stand, for schemes will be devised against him. And those who eat his choice food will break him, and his military force will overflow, but many will fall down slain." (Daniel 11:25-26 LSB)
Antiochus invades Egypt with a large army. The king of the South, Ptolemy VI Philometor, meets him with an even larger force. But Ptolemy "will not stand." Why? Not because of Antiochus's military genius, but because of internal betrayal. "Schemes will be devised against him." Who devises these schemes? "Those who eat his choice food will break him." His own trusted advisors, his inner circle, betray him. History records that Ptolemy's guardians turned against him, leading to a swift and total defeat for Egypt. God's sovereignty is such that He can orchestrate not only the movements of armies but the loyalties of a king's dinner guests.
A Table of Lies and a Divine Timetable (vv. 27-28)
What follows is a picture of utter cynicism and evil.
"And as for both kings, their hearts will be intent on evil, and they will speak falsehood at the same table; but it will not succeed, for the end is still to come at the appointed time." (Genesis 11:27 LSB)
After the battle, Antiochus captures Ptolemy. The two kings sit down at a table, pretending to negotiate a peace treaty. But it's a complete sham. Both of them are lying through their teeth, scheming against one another. "Their hearts will be intent on evil." This is a raw look at the depravity of fallen political power. But their schemes will fail. Why? "For the end is still to come at the appointed time." God has a schedule. These two wicked men, for all their plotting, are puppets on a string. They cannot hasten or delay God's plan by one second. Their lies and treaties are impotent before the divine decree.
The chapter concludes this section with Antiochus's return journey and a dark foreshadowing of what is to come.
"Then he will return to his land with great possessions; but his heart will be set against the holy covenant, and he will take action and then return to his own land." (Genesis 11:28 LSB)
Antiochus returns from his successful Egyptian campaign laden with plunder. But his success has made him arrogant. And where does he direct that arrogance? "His heart will be set against the holy covenant." On his way home, he passes through Jerusalem. Enraged by rumors of a revolt and filled with contempt for the God of Israel, he attacks the city, slaughters thousands, and plunders the temple. He "will take action" against God's people. This is the first of his major persecutions, a precursor to the abomination of desolation that will be described in the following verses. His political and military ambitions are inextricably linked with a satanic hatred for the covenant people of God.
Conclusion: The Vile Man and the Prince of the Covenant
It is impossible to read about this despised man, this Antiochus Epiphanes, without seeing him as a type, a foreshadowing, of a greater enemy. He is a forerunner of the Antichrist. His methods are the methods of the enemies of God in every age: intrigue, deception, bribery, and a blasphemous rage against the holy covenant.
But there is another "prince of the covenant" whom this passage brings to mind. Antiochus had the high priest Onias III murdered. But two centuries later, another, greater Prince of the Covenant would be broken. Jesus Christ, our great High Priest, was betrayed by one who ate His bread. He was handed over by the religious leaders of the holy covenant who should have welcomed Him. He was broken by the political power of Rome. The schemes of wicked men, the lies spoken at tables of power, all converged on Him at the cross.
And it looked like the vile men had won. It looked like evil had succeeded. But just as God told Daniel, their schemes could not succeed, because "the end is still to come at the appointed time." The death of the Prince of the Covenant was not a victory for evil, but the very means of its ultimate defeat. God took the greatest act of human wickedness and turned it into the greatest act of divine grace.
Therefore, when we see despised men rise to power, when we see them take hold of kingdoms by intrigue, when we see them set their hearts against the covenant of God, we are not to despair. We are to remember Daniel 11. We are to remember that God has a stopwatch on every tyrant. We are to remember that the lies of evil men cannot alter God's appointed time. And we are to remember that the true Prince of the Covenant was broken for us, so that we, His people, could never be ultimately broken by them. He has already won the war. What we are watching now is simply the playing out of the final battles, all according to His perfect, sovereign, and detailed plan.