The Worldwide Misinterpretation of Daniel 11:36-45

We are going to discuss the misinterpretation of Daniel 11:36-45 and how it has affected the global church. Daniel 11 is a prophetic chronological list of events that have occurred throughout history, and it includes the coming of ruling empires. This chapter provides detailed descriptions of how these empires will rise and fall, leading to the birth of new empires. However, the main issue that has been troubling the church for a long time is the flawed interpretation of Daniel 11:36-45. When we can’t understand the scripture or relate it to historical events, so we tend to come up with our own interpretations. As evidence, I have an excerpt from the Amplified Bible, which is usually reliable but fails with its support of the flawed interpretation of the prophecy in Daniel 11:36-45.

36 “Then the king (the Antichrist) will do exactly as he pleases; he will exalt himself and magnify himself above every god and will speak astounding and disgusting things against the God of gods and he will prosper until the indignation is finished, for that which is determined [by God] will be done. 37 He will have no regard for the gods of his fathers or for the desire of women, nor will he have regard for any other god, for he shall magnify himself above them all. 38 Instead, he will honor a god of fortresses, a god whom his fathers did not know; he will honor him with gold and silver, with precious stones and with expensive things. 39 He will act against the strongest fortresses with the help of a foreign god; he will give great honor to those who acknowledge him and he will cause them to rule over the many, and will parcel out land for a price.40 “At the end time the king of the South will push and attack him (the Antichrist), and the king of the North will storm against him with chariots and horsemen and with many ships; and he will enter countries, overwhelm them and pass through. 41 He shall also enter the Beautiful and Glorious Land (Israel), and many countries will fall, but these will be rescued out of his hand: Edom, Moab, and the foremost [core] of the people of Ammon. 42 Then he will stretch out his hand against other countries, but Egypt will not be among the ones which escape. 43 He will have power over the treasures of gold and silver and over all the precious things of Egypt, and the Libyans and the Ethiopians will follow in his footsteps. 44 But rumors from the east and from the north will alarm and disturb him, and he will set out with great fury to destroy and to annihilate many. 45 He will pitch his palatial tents between the seas and the glorious Holy Mountain (Zion); yet he will come to his end with no one to help him [in his final battle with God].
DANIEL 11:36-45 Amplified Bible
Someone Is Coming But…
While I do believe someone is coming, as the Bible has prophesied, to fulfil the role of the anti-Christ figure, the scripture here is not talking about him.
Here is the actual prophecy without the commentary, taken from the New International Version. A significant part of our interpretation of prophecy accommodates the modern state of Israel. However, if it does not align with the criteria given in the Bible, we attempt to reconcile it with our reality. This is not how prophecy is supposed to operate, especially if it is to convict unbelievers of sin. As Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians verses 24 to 25, that being witnesses themselves to the fulfilment of prophecy, unbelievers will confess that the living God is among you. Many people overlook an important aspect when they adopt these interpretations: they disrupt the flow into the next chapter. Chapter 12 is a continuation of Chapter 11, which indicates that the Archangel Michael shall arise. The challenge arises when considering the timing of Michael’s rising in Revelation 12:7 from John’s perspective. Some might argue that these are two separate events, but I assure you they are not. The angel Michael rose after Jesus died and was resurrected, so this event must have occurred before the advent of Islam. The question then is: what significant event marked the rising of the Chief Angel and the war in heaven? We will explore this topic in more depth soon.
36 “The king will do as he pleases. He will exalt and magnify himself above every god and will say unheard-of things against the God of gods. He will be successful until the time of wrath is completed, for what has been determined must take place. 37 He will show no regard for the gods of his ancestors or for the one desired by women, nor will he regard any god, but will exalt himself above them all. 38 Instead of them, he will honor a god of fortresses; a god unknown to his ancestors he will honor with gold and silver, with precious stones and costly gifts. 39 He will attack the mightiest fortresses with the help of a foreign god and will greatly honor those who acknowledge him. He will make them rulers over many people and will distribute the land at a price. 40 “At the time of the end the king of the South will engage him in battle, and the king of the North will storm out against him with chariots and cavalry and a great fleet of ships. He will invade many countries and sweep through them like a flood. 41 He will also invade the Beautiful Land. Many countries will fall, but Edom, Moab and the leaders of Ammon will be delivered from his hand. 42 He will extend his power over many countries; Egypt will not escape. 43 He will gain control of the treasures of gold and silver and all the riches of Egypt, with the Libyans and Cushites in submission. 44 But reports from the east and the north will alarm him, and he will set out in a great rage to destroy and annihilate many. 45 He will pitch his royal tents between the seas at the beautiful holy mountain. Yet he will come to his end, and no one will help him.
DANIEL 11:36-45 NIV

Problems with our current interpretations
The amplified Bible has sold over 1.1 million copies, and there’s no doubt that it has significantly influenced the modern church. It is a fantastic Bible for revealing details that could be overlooked when studying. However, its interpretation of Daniel 11 verses 36 to 45 is flawed for several reasons.
- The previous verses mention the reign of Antiochus IV Epiphanes and several events surrounding his life. The next verses in scripture leap into the distant future, omitting the rule of Rome and Islam in those regions after the Seleucid Dynasty. This disrupts the flow and harmony of the prophecy and has caused the Book of Daniel to come under heavy criticism. Many doubt its divine influence and the date it was first penned. For the prophecy to be accepted as divinely inspired, it should accurately mention the rise of the Roman Empire and the coming of Islam.
- Daniel lists all the empires that would rise through the imagery in chapters 2, 7, and 8. Daniel 11 and 12 give detailed descriptions of events that led to the rise and fall of these empires. This must include Rome and Islam.
- Though not originating, this interpretation is supported in the Amplified Bible. This misunderstanding has misled Christians into supporting governments and their agendas, leading the church to sin against God and their fellow brethren. This belief existed before the Amplified Bible, but the Amplified Bible has adopted this interpretation as fact.
Now let’s take a look at the chapter. According to Daniel 11, it starts with the Persians. There was no need to mention the Babylonians in this because Daniel was already a captive by the Persians. Then, from the Persians, it moves to Alexander the Great and his generals and discusses the Seleucid Dynasty in Daniel 8:9. After the wars between the Seleucid and Ptolemaic Dynasties, the Bible describes Rome and then the coming of Islam. Exploring this, you will see for yourselves that it is evident that this Bible is a divine book given to us and preserved by the Father of creation for the world to witness. It will also show that, unfortunately, it is the church, though they mean well, that will often get in the way of the Lord’s work.
ROME
DANIEL 11:36-37
36 “The king will do as he pleases. He will exalt and magnify himself above every god and will say unheard-of things against the God of gods. He will be successful until the time of wrath is completed, for what has been determined must take place.37 He will show no regard for the gods of his ancestors or for the one desired by women, nor will he regard any god, but will exalt himself above them all.

The Roman Emperors became gods through the imperial cult and used their divine status as a political tool to unify the vast Empire and state from 27 BC. The highest-ranking gods of Rome were Jupiter, the king of the gods, Thunder, and his wife Juno, the goddess of marriage, childbirth, and so on. We can see that the angel is talking about the highest-ranking deities of the Roman pantheon when he says he will show no regard for the gods of his ancestors or Juno, the one desired by women.
DANIEL 11:38-39
38 Instead of them, he will honor a god of fortresses; a god unknown to his ancestors he will honor with gold and silver, with precious stones and costly gifts. 39 He will attack the mightiest fortresses with the help of a foreign god and will greatly honor those who acknowledge him. He will make them rulers over many people and will distribute the land at a price.

It is well-documented that the god of the Roman soldiers was a foreign God called Mithra. Mitraism was practised by the soldiers of Rome, and later, they adopted Sol Invictus. Both Mithra and Sol Invictus were sun Gods. The birthdays of the sun gods are celebrated on December 25th, the same day Christians celebrate the birth of Christ.
DANIEL 11:40
40 “At the time of the end the king of the South will engage him in battle, and the king of the North will storm out against him with chariots and cavalry and a great fleet of ships. He will invade many countries and sweep through them like a flood.

The time of the end refers to the end of the Ptolemaic and Seleucid dynasties (Daniel 8:9). Tigranes the Great and his father-in-law, Mithradates VI fought against Rome. Egypt and lost several wars against Rome, the last of which was the battle of Actium, which led to the beginning of the Roman Empire. Tigranes the great was the ruler of Syria at the time
DANIEL 11:41
41 He will also invade the Beautiful Land. Many countries will fall, but Edom, Moab and the leaders of Ammon will be delivered from his hand.

Jerusalem was conquered by General Pompey in 63 BC after the last Mithradatic war. Herod the Edomite was appointed King of Judea by the Romans in 37 BC. This was the end of the Hasmoneon Dynasty and the beginning of the Herodian Dynasty. Edom, Moab and Ammon was left alone at this time
DANIEL 11:42-43
42 He will extend his power over many countries; Egypt will not escape. 43 He will gain control of the treasures of gold and silver and all the riches of Egypt, with the Libyans and Cushites in submission.

Octavian, later called Augustus, was crowned Pharaoh in 30 BC.
DANIEL 11:44
44 But reports from the east and the north will alarm him, and he will set out in a great rage to destroy and annihilate many.

The Third-Century Crisis The Palmyrene Empire (East) and the Gallic Empire (North) were unified with Rome through Emperor Aurelian, who was dubbed Resistor Orbis (Restorer of the World). The 3rd-century crisis almost destroyed Rome.
DANIEL 11:45
45 He will pitch his royal tents between the seas at the beautiful holy mountain. Yet he will come to his end, and no one will help him.

Constantine the Great moved the Roman capital and palace to Constantinople. In between the seas (Mediterranean) at Jerusalem. Rome came to an End in 476 AD.
After all these events have taken place, the book of Daniel, chapter 12 which continues from chapter 11 gives you an actual date for the Dome of the Rock! Is that a coincidence? Is it even possible to guess this? Is this of divine influence?
CONTINUES IN CHAPTER 12!
DANIEL 12:1
12 “At that time Michael, the great prince who protects your people, will arise. There will be a time of distress such as has not happened from the beginning of nations until then. But at that time your people—everyone whose name is found written in the book—will be delivered.

A TIME OF DISTRESS UNEQUALLED UNDER GOD
When the angel Michael rises, one of the symptoms triggered is the great distress that Jesus spoke about in the gospels (Mark 13:14-25, Matthew 24:15-21, Luke 21:20-24). It’s important to read this scripture in context. By slowing down and carefully examining the chapter, we learn that the angel briefly summarises the end days. Two accompanying angels ask him to elaborate on his meaning, so he provides a more detailed explanation. Daniel did not fully understand, so the angel clarified further, mentioning key events such as the date of the Dome of the Rock, the unification of Islam, and the beginning of the Great Scattering. This scattering refers to the Muslim Arab slave trade, which was officially recognised to have legally ended in 2007. This aligns perfectly with the rise of the little horn mentioned in Daniel 7:8. According to the angel Gabriel in Daniel 7:25, the little horn will attempt to change times and laws. This is related to the biblical records and accounts established by scripture regarding the Israelites as their times, as well as their laws and God’s revelations. In contrast, Islam claims that the words of the Hebrew prophets have been corrupted and that Muhammad, the prophet of God, has come to restore them. There are numerous issues with this assertion.
According to Daniel 9:27, the Bible indicates that a man will seemingly unify a divided Islamic community over a period of seven years and will begin constructing the Abomination of Desolation in the middle of those seven years, which refers to the Dome of the Rock. This man is Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan I of the Umayyad Caliphate, identified as the red horse in the sixth chapter of the Book of Revelation. He came to power in the year 685 AD. The Angel Gabriel had given the exact time to expect him. When he said in Daniel 12:11.

“From the time that the daily sacrifice is abolished and the abomination that causes desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days.12 Blessed is the one who waits for and reaches the end of the 1,335 days. ”
DANIEL 12:11
“27 He will confirm a covenant with many for one ‘seven.’ In the middle of the ‘seven’ he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And at the temple, he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him. ” -NIV
DANIEL 9:27
I’ll show another version to clarify.
“27 He shall make a strong covenant with many for one week, and for half of the week he shall make sacrifice and offering cease, and in their place shall be a desolating sacrilege until the decreed end is poured out upon the desolator.”
–NRSVUE
(Please note that verse 9:26 discusses Jesus being crucified and the Israelites suffering at the hands of the Romans. The archangel Michael is released to battle afterwards in 12:1).
The days are prophetic years or Ancient years. There are precisely 1290 ancient years based on 360-day years from when Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, destroyed the first temple in 587 BC to 685 AD. The Great Dispersion, mentioned in Daniel 12:7 or the Arab slave trade, lasted 1335 ancient years or 1315 modern years from when Islam was unified, and The Dome of the Rock was set up by 692 AD.
Remember, Jesus said this would be the worst thing to happen since God created nations. Without the Muslim Arab Slave Trade, the Trans-Saharan slave trade, the Trans-Atlantic Slave trade, the Barbary slave trade, and later the Indian Ocean slave trade and Red Sea slave trade would not exist or reach the extent of atrocity it did.

Do you think Jesus was correct?
YES!
Here’s an example of the math that Christians use to calculate the death of Jesus, which is prophesied in Daniel’s 70-week prophecy by the angel Gabriel in 33 AD.
1290 multiplied by 360 = the total days in 1290 years, 464,400 days. Let’s divide those days into our years of 365.25, and we get 1271 modern years because we have 5.25 more days a year than some of the ancient calendars.
1290 x 360 = 464,400 divided by 365.25 = 1271
Now, because BC (before Christ) is a countdown to the birth of Christ, we can subtract 587 BC from 1271, and we get 684 AD, but we lose one year for the crossover of BC to AD, so we must add it back, and we end up with a date of 685 AD.
1271 – 587 BC = 684 + 1 = 685 AD
At this point, no other book has done this in the history of Mankind. This has set a standard the Muslim Quran can never reach.