The voice of mirth, gladness, the bridegroom, and the bride and lighted candles and the sound of millstones were removed not only from Judah but also from the surrounding nations. Right away we can see a spiritual connotation because of Revelation 18:23, “And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived.” In other words, the natural picture, from which we can extrapolate valuable information, is a past historical fulfillment that embodies a prophecy of the future. As we continue, we will become more and more convinced that chapter 25 was not wholly fulfilled by the king of Babylon and his confederates, for some of the details did not happen back there but are prophesied elsewhere as events in the near future.

The Prophet Ezekiel tells us the character of Daniel. As a youth he was captured by Nebuchadnezzar when he besieged Jerusalem. He was a beacon of righteousness in a heathen land. He withstood the king to his face and “shunned not to declare the whole counsel of God.”

Many think the prophecies of Daniel correspond to the book of Revelation and that they are all about the “End Times.” In many ways it does, but not all that Daniel speaks about is for the “Time of the End.” Many of his prophecies to us are history lessons. He gives us clues of history to bring us to the “Time of the End.” Take for instance the “Image” He starts with Nebuchadnezzar (Babylon), then it goes to Media-Persia, then to Greece, and finally to Rome and then to the “Holy Roman Empire” (Rome, mingled with clay). Then to the 5th universal kingdom that of our Lord and his Bride.

Chapter 11 of the book of Daniel is written in the same way, but is a more detailed history future from the time of Daniel. Chapter 11, traces certain characters and historical events prophetically and sequentially in order to point out the important date 1799 and the time period known as the “time of the end” without mentioning a number. Highlights of history are given to lead up to Napoleon’s day.

We will endeavor to go verse by verse through chapter 11 and give explanation.