Page 352 - Daniel

destruction. And he shall pitch his palatial tents between the sea and
the glorious holy mountain. Yet he shall come to his end, with none to
help him.”

To add to this king’s difficulties his invasion of Africa seems to be cut
short by disturbing news “from the east and the north.” One question is
whether this refers to the invasion described in Revelation 16:12 where

the Euphrates river dries up “to prepare the way for the kings from the
east.” Whatever the disturbing news is, it forces the Antichrist to “go out
with great fury to destroy and devote many to destruction.” It is possible
that the final destruction of Babylon takes place during this part of the
Antichrist’s final campaign. 67

At the end of the king’s final campaign he succeeds in establishing his
tent-palace “between the sea and the glorious holy mountain,” best
understood as a reference to Jerusalem situated between the
Mediterranean Sea and the Dead Sea. Actually, the struggle goes on

without cessation right up to the day of Christ’s second advent, as
brought out in Zechariah 14:1–4. Daniel does not dwell upon details in
the climax of this struggle.

In spite of his military victories, the last world ruler “shall come to his
end, with none to help him.” The liberal interpretation relating this to
Antiochus simply does not fit the passage, as Antiochus died in battle in
Media, and nothing significant immediately followed his death. If this is
indeed the time of the end and this is the final world ruler of the times
of the Gentiles, the best identification is to refer his doom to Christ’s

return and the destruction of the beast and the armies (Rev. 19:17–21).
According to Revelation 19:17–21, the king and the false prophet
associated with him are cast alive into the lake of fire. The armies that
are united in opposition to Christ and attacking Jerusalem are destroyed.
That the second advent is in view is brought out clearly in Revelation 20
where the time of the end is made definitely to include the great

tribulation and the resurrection of the dead (cf. 20:4–6).
Taken as a whole, Daniel 11:36–45 is a description of the closing days
of the times of the Gentiles, specifically, the great tribulation with its
world ruler, world religion, and materialistic philosophy. In spite of its

satanic support, the world government fragments into sectional disputes