The Tyrant's Catechism Text: Daniel 11:36-39
Introduction: The Pattern of Pride
When we read the prophetic Scriptures, particularly a dense passage like this one in Daniel, we must keep several principles in mind. First, prophecy is not given to us so that we can construct elaborate, speculative timetables of the future. It is given to us so that we can be faithful in the present. It reveals the character of God and the character of His enemies. Second, prophecy often functions typologically. This means that a prophecy can have a near, historical fulfillment that serves as a pattern, a type, for a later, ultimate fulfillment. The immediate context here points us to the Hellenistic king Antiochus IV Epiphanes, a vile persecutor of the Jews in the second century B.C. He was a man who called himself Theos Epiphanes, "God Manifest," but whom the Jews called Epimanes, "the Madman." He is a textbook tyrant, a foreshadowing. But the language here swells and expands beyond just one Syrian madman. It gives us the very DNA of the antichrist spirit, a spirit that has manifested itself in countless tyrants throughout history, from Nero to Napoleon to Stalin, and which will have its final, ugliest manifestation in the man of sin at the end of history.
So, as we dissect these verses, we are not just doing a historical autopsy on Antiochus. We are learning to recognize the face of godless rebellion in any age. This passage is a field guide to identifying the core tenets of the secular, man-centered state. It is the tyrant's catechism, a summary of his foul beliefs. And we must learn it well, because this spirit is not confined to history books. It is alive and well, and it breathes the air in our own time. The lust to be as God, to define good and evil for oneself, to cast off all external authority, is the original lie of the serpent, and it is the foundational creed of every would-be dictator.
Daniel is showing us the anatomy of a man who has completely given himself over to the satanic impulse for self-deification. This is what happens when the creature forgets the Creator/creature distinction. This is the endgame of all humanism. It is a portrait of ultimate pride, and it is a warning to us all.
The Text
Then the king will do as he pleases, and he will exalt and magnify himself above every god and will speak astonishing things against the God of gods; and he will succeed until the indignation is finished, for that which is decreed will be done. He will show no regard for the gods of his fathers or for the desire of women, nor will he show regard for any other god; for he will magnify himself above them all. But instead he will honor a god of fortresses, a god whom his fathers did not know; he will honor him with gold, silver, costly stones, and desirable things. And he will take action against the strongest of fortresses with the help of a foreign god; he will give great honor to those who recognize him and will cause them to rule over the many and will apportion land for a price.
(Daniel 11:36-39 LSB)
The Will to Power (v. 36)
We begin with the foundational principle of all tyranny:
"Then the king will do as he pleases, and he will exalt and magnify himself above every god and will speak astonishing things against the God of gods; and he will succeed until the indignation is finished, for that which is decreed will be done." (Daniel 11:36)
The first clause is the motto of every fallen man: "the king will do as he pleases." This is the definition of lawlessness. It is the rejection of any transcendent standard, any authority outside of the self. The tyrant's will is his only law. This is the logical outworking of the serpent's promise in the garden: "you will be like God" (Gen. 3:5). If you are God, then your desires are ultimate. This is raw, unvarnished autonomy.
From this root of self-will grows the poisonous fruit of self-exaltation. He will "exalt and magnify himself above every god." This is not atheism in the modern sense of denying any spiritual realm. This is a far more arrogant claim. The tyrant does not deny the existence of gods; he simply declares himself to be superior to them all. He seeks to occupy the throne of the universe. This is precisely what Paul says of the final Antichrist, that "he opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God" (2 Thess. 2:4). Antiochus Epiphanes did this in type when he set up an idol of Zeus, with his own face, in the Jerusalem temple. Every secular state that claims ultimate sovereignty, that claims to be the source of rights and the final arbiter of morality, is making the same blasphemous claim.
And so, he "will speak astonishing things against the God of gods." The Hebrew word here for "astonishing" carries the sense of monstrous, unparalleled blasphemy. It is not just casual cursing; it is a calculated, ideological assault on the character and authority of Yahweh. When the state redefines marriage, when it sanctions the murder of the unborn, when it declares that a man can become a woman, it is speaking astonishing things against the God of gods, who created them male and female.
But notice the terrifying caveat: "and he will succeed." God, in His sovereignty, grants a measure of success to such wicked men. Why? Because they are His instruments of judgment. He succeeds "until the indignation is finished." This tyrant, for all his posturing and pride, is on a leash. He is a tool in the hand of the God he blasphemes. His rage and ambition can only go as far as God's decree allows. God is using this "indignation," this period of wrath, to chastise His covenant people and to ripen the wicked for judgment. The tyrant thinks he is acting autonomously, but he is merely fulfilling the script that has been written for him, "for that which is decreed will be done." This is a profound comfort. Even the worst of tyrants are not outside of God's sovereign plan. Their success is temporary, and their end is certain.
The Rejection of All Tradition (v. 37)
Next, we see the tyrant's radical break with the past and with all natural affections.
"He will show no regard for the gods of his fathers or for the desire of women, nor will he show regard for any other god; for he will magnify himself above them all." (Daniel 11:37)
The tyrant is a revolutionary. He must clear the ground of all old loyalties to make room for the totalizing loyalty he demands for himself. First, he has "no regard for the gods of his fathers." He despises heritage, tradition, and the accumulated wisdom of the past. All pagan societies had a piety that honored their ancestors and their gods. This new man despises it. He is a modernist, a progressive. He sees the past not as a foundation to be built upon but as a prison to be escaped. We see this spirit in the French Revolution's Cult of Reason and in every subsequent atheistic revolution that sought to wipe the slate clean.
Second, he has no regard for "the desire of women." This is a fascinating phrase. Some have seen it as a reference to homosexuality or a-sexuality. Others see it as a reference to a specific deity, like Tammuz, who was popular with women. But the most straightforward meaning, in a patriarchal world, is that he has no regard for the natural, God-given desire of women for marriage, family, and children. The tyrant sees the family as a rival institution. The family is the first and most basic unit of society, and it cultivates loyalties that the state cannot control. Therefore, the tyrant must undermine it. He wages war on the home. He has no regard for the desire of women because he wants to replace the love of family with a love of the state. He wants children to be wards of the state, not the inheritance of a father and mother.
The verse concludes by summarizing the motive: "for he will magnify himself above them all." All other loyalties, whether to gods, ancestors, or family, must be obliterated. The self is the new god, and the state is the incarnation of that god on earth.
The New Religion: The God of War (v. 38-39)
But man cannot live in a religious vacuum. Having rejected all other gods, the tyrant must erect a new one in their place.
"But instead he will honor a god of fortresses, a god whom his fathers did not know; he will honor him with gold, silver, costly stones, and desirable things. And he will take action against the strongest of fortresses with the help of a foreign god; he will give great honor to those who recognize him and will cause them to rule over the many and will apportion land for a price." (Daniel 11:38-39)
The new god is the "god of fortresses." This is the deification of military power. The tyrant's ultimate trust is in brute force, in the sword, in the machinery of the state. His theology is might makes right. This is a new god, a "god whom his fathers did not know," because while previous kings waged war, they did so (at least in theory) in the name of their traditional gods. This king worships power for its own sake. The state itself, with its armies and its police power, becomes the object of worship.
And this new religion has its own lavish liturgy. He honors this god "with gold, silver, costly stones, and desirable things." This is a picture of the military-industrial complex. The wealth of the nation is poured onto the altar of the god of war. The finest things are not used to build temples for the glory of God or homes for the flourishing of families, but are consecrated to the creation of a powerful war machine.
Verse 39 shows us how this new religion works in practice. He acts "with the help of a foreign god." This likely means he makes alliances based on pure pragmatism, not on shared culture or religion, using the power of other nations to achieve his ends. And he creates a new priesthood of those who are loyal to him. He gives "great honor to those who recognize him." Loyalty is the only virtue. Those who bow to his authority are rewarded with power and wealth. He will "cause them to rule over the many and will apportion land for a price." This is cronyism institutionalized. The tyrant seizes the property of his enemies and redistributes it to his friends. He creates a new aristocracy based not on merit or heritage, but on sycophantic devotion to his regime.
Conclusion: The Unarmed King
This portrait of the self-deifying king is a grim one. It is the pattern of godless power that has repeated itself throughout history and will do so again. It is the worship of the self, the rejection of the past, the war on the family, and the consecration of all things to the god of military might. It is the political expression of the lie of the serpent.
But this is not the final word. Daniel's prophecy does not end here. This king, this spirit, this antichrist, will come to his end, and none will help him (Dan. 11:45). This entire vision is given to Daniel to steel the nerves of God's people, to assure them that even when the most monstrous evil seems to be succeeding, God is still on the throne, and His decree will be done.
The ultimate answer to this king who magnifies himself is the King who humbled Himself. The answer to the king who does as he pleases is the King who said, "not My will, but Yours, be done" (Luke 22:42). The answer to the king who honors the god of fortresses is the King who came not with legions of angels but armed only with the word of truth. The answer to the tyrant who builds his kingdom with gold and silver is the King whose kingdom is not of this world, built with the precious blood of His own Son.
Antiochus came and went. Nero came and went. The Soviet Union is a rust heap. All who exalt themselves will be humbled. But the kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ, the one who was crucified in weakness, is an everlasting kingdom. He is the true God of gods, and His dominion shall have no end. Our job is not to fear the tyrants, but to fear God. Our job is not to learn the tyrant's catechism, but to teach the nations the catechism of the King of kings, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.