Daniel 11 Prophecy

Scripture

Daniel 11:1-2
And in the first year of Darius the Mede, I took my stand to support and protect him. Now then, I tell you the truth: Three more kings will arise in Persia, and then a fourth, who will be far richer than all the others. When he has gained power by his wealth, he will stir up everyone against the kingdom of Greece.

History

Darius the Mede was a governor of Babylonia under Cyrus the Great. Babylonia was a kingdom which included modern day Iraq and Iran. This is just a marker of the time when Daniel received the prophecy.

The current Persian king was Cyras 2. He reigned between 550 BC and 529 BC. Daniel died during his reign in 538 BC. Therefore, all of what the angel prophesised to Daniel occurred after his death.

According to the prophecy, there would be 3 more Persian kings, before a 4th king would arise, who will “stir up everyone against the kingdom of Greece”.

The history books indicate the 4th king was Xerxes:

Name Reign (from) Reign (to)
Current King Cyras 2 550 BC 529 BC
1st of 3 to arise Cambyses 2 529 BC 522 BC
2nd of 3 to arise Smerdis 522 BC 522 BC
3rd of 3 to arise Darius 1 522 BC 486 BC
The 4th King Xerxes 486 BC 465 BC

We are just at the beginning of the prophecy. Was this fulfilled? Yes! Xerxes did indeed invade Greece and this over a half century after Daniel died.

Now that we have laid down the starting marker in history, we can’t chop and change or go backwards to another point in history. The rest of the prophecy must flow on from this point onwards.

Source: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Xerxes-I

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