Daniel’s prophetic vision in Daniel chapter 11 foretells of a specific event when those who stand for God are persecuted. This persecution is believed to have been fulfilled during the reign of Antiochus IV Epiphanes, circa 170 BC. I believe that Daniel’s vision, as well as the persecution, also has a fulfillment in the end time by Antichrist.1
Persecutors
People are persecuted in the world for many reasons. In this case, it is because those who are persecuted stand for the truth as revealed by the One True God of the Bible. God insists that He alone is God, and all others are wrong. That upsets some people.
Those who are deceived into believing falsehoods concerning the truth do not like to be told they are wrong. Additionally, they do not want to be held accountable to God the Father. Some of these folks persecute the people of God.
(The good news is that those who are deceived can turn to the Father and be reconciled to Him. I explain more about turning to God (repenting) in my post titled, Repent -God will hear.)
Daniel 11:32-35
The passage in Daniel 11:32-35 foretells of the persecution. Verse 32 starts by explaining the influence of the king2 and his deception.
32 “And by smooth words he will turn to godlessness those who act wickedly toward the covenant, but the people who know their God will display strength and take action. 33 And those who have insight among the people will give understanding to the many; yet they will fall by sword and by flame, by captivity and by plunder, for many days. 34 Now when they fall they will be granted a little help, and many will join with them in hypocrisy. 35 And some of those who have insight will fall, in order to refine, purge, and make them pure, until the end time; because it is still to come at the appointed time.”
Some of the Jews who do not believe God will join in the king’s godlessness. Others, who hold to their faith, will not abandon God’s covenant. The faithful will lead the people into the truth but will be persecuted.
Some of the persecuted will have their possessions taken. Some will be jailed, and some will lose their lives.
Part of the godless Israelites will pretend to join with the righteous, but they are just hypocrites. The effects of the persecution will weed out the false believers. Those who remain faithful to God will be purified by the fires of persecution.
Hope in Affliction
The New Testament also speaks of affliction and persecution and how it effects our lives.
Romans 5:1-5
The Apostle Paul writes that as believers, we have peace with God. Because of our faith in God, we exult (rejoice) in hope. He goes on to explain of another way that we can rejoice, tribulation:
“Therefore having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God. And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”
It is interesting to note that we first rejoice in hope because of salvation. Then, when we encounter tribulation, we grow in our faith which also results in hope. We start in hope and continue in hope. We live in hope because of God’s love for us.
Blessing in Persecution
One of the things that Jesus teaches in the Sermon on the Mount is how we should respond when we are persecuted. He explains that when we are mistreated for His sake, we are receiving a blessing and should rejoice.
Matthew 5:10-12
Jesus introduces the subject in the context of godly living. He says,
“Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when men cast insults at you, and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely, on account of Me. Rejoice, and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
Believers who are insulted and persecuted because of godly righteous behavior gain the kingdom of heaven. We should rejoice when we suffer for Jesus. As Ellicott’s commentary points out, we should be, “persecuted, not for opinions, but for right conduct.”3
Pray for our Persecutors
Later on in Matthew 5, in the same sermon, Jesus says,
“But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you.”4
Jesus teaches a heavenly perspective towards our persecutors. Jesus exhorts His followers to seek the best for those who would destroy us by praying for them. We should pray for our persecutors, even when they torment us.
Bible teacher John MacArthur elucidates the passage in one of his sermons.5 Speaking about persecutors, MacArthur says,
“If they are doing that to you, you are blessed. Isn’t that wonderful, doesn’t that turn it on its head? Not only are you blessed, but rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great.
“What they’re doing is adding to your eternal reward! Come on, bring it on!
“This is a very important thing to realize, because it causes you to see persecution in a completely different way. If you see persecution doing damage to you, you will change your message. If you see persecution adding to your eternal reward, you don’t change anything. Right?”
MacArthur is right! If we are only concerned about our earthly life, we will not be able to experience what Jesus is describing. Instead we will feel hurt and betrayed, our suffering will dominate our thinking, and we might shrink back from declaring the truth. We must adopt the heavenly viewpoint so we can be an over-comer with Him.
Conclusion
We looked at Daniel’s prophecy describing the persecution of the people of God. We saw that those who are persecuted respond in several ways. Some give up their faith, rejecting God. Others stand firm in the faith, experiencing further atrocities against them, but receiving God’s blessing. Another group appears to stand firm, but are only hypocrites.
We learned that we can rejoice in our afflictions because it builds our character. As we grow in godliness, our hope develops. Our hope in God does not disappoint because of God’s love for us.
We read Jesus’s teaching on how to respond during times of persecution. We don’t want to go through persecution, but if we do, we receive a blessing from God in the midst of being tormented for our faith. Additionally, Jesus assures us that our reward in heaven is great.
Appendix
I cover verse 32 of the Daniel 11 passage in my article, How to be a Spiritual Giant.
1 I write about the later fulfillment of Daniel’s vision in my post, Antiochus to Antichrist.
2 The king Antiochus IV, is thought to have fulfilled this prophecy in the near term, and will be fulfilled in the far term by Antichrist.
3 Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
4 Matthew 5:44
5 https://www.gty.org/library/sermons-library/81-107/loving-your-enemies-as-god-does 3/8/24