October 9: CHAPTER 11 WRAP-UP (part 1)
And he shall plant the tents of his palace between the seas and the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and no one will help him. Daniel 11:45
Even as the king of the North will work feverishly to destroy and annihilate many (v.44), he will continue his efforts to eclipse the true knowledge of God from view of the masses. Let’s break down the following phrases, beginning with: plant the tents of his palace. To plant the tent means to settle after a journey. This expression appears numerous times in Scripture (Genesis 12:8; 33:18-19; Deuteronomy 1:33). It also refers to the settling of the tabernacle of God (Exodus 33:7; 40:2, 6, 29; 1 Chronicles 15:1; 16:1) to signify His presence among the people (Leviticus 26:11; Revelation 21:3). The Hebrew word here translated palace is apdan, which appears only once in all of Scripture. This particular word is borrowed from the old Persian language and it designates a ritual place of worship. It is no accident that Daniel chose this word for this prophecy. He lived through decades of Persian rule and had a keen awareness of the meaningless rituals, many of them occult, involved in pagan worship. The tents of the palace of the king of the North are planted in every country of the world as a way of hoodwinking and detouring would-be followers of divine Truth in its fullness. Any doctrines or teachings that do not line up with Scripture should raise a red flag for the student of Scripture (Isaiah 8:20).
The reference to waters in prophetic passages is explained as peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues (Revelation 17:15). The papacy arose out of the sea or in a highly populated area (13:1), and sits on many waters (17:1). Just as the papacy was receiving the mortal wound (13:3), the USA was recognized as a nation. It came up out of the earth (v.11), a phrase to contrast with out of the sea, alluding to the sparse population of the western hemisphere at the time. Of course, today’s North American landscape reveals one that is highly populated, including numerous crowded cities, similar to those of Old Europe.
Today’s verse reveals Satan’s agenda to eclipse the truth of Scripture by coming between the multitudes—seas—of spiritually hungry people and God’s faithful ones who are preaching and sharing Bible truth in its holistic, full measure. The remnant of Christians who desire to accurately share the whole of God’s word are completely dependent upon the Holy Spirit as they do so. They are represented in Scripture, spiritually speaking, as standing with God and Christ, by the Holy Spirit’s power, upon the glorious holy mountain. A time is coming when the sea of support for the false church will dry up. Therefore thus says the LORD: Behold, I will plead your case and take vengeance for you. I will dry up her sea and make her springs dry. Jeremiah 51:36
GREAT is the LORD, and greatly to be praised In the city of our God, In His holy mountain. Beautiful in elevation, The joy of the whole earth, Is Mount Zion on the sides of the north, The city of the great King. Psalm 48:1-2
See also: Psalm 3:4;15:1-2; 43:3; 99:9; Isaiah 11:9; 56:6-7; 57:13; Daniel 9:16, 20; 11:16, 41; Joel 3:17; Ephesians 2:21