Deeper Reflection
Daniel 10 to 12 is to be viewed as “one single, climactic visionary experience”³² of Daniel. Daniel’s visionary experience began with him standing “by the bank of the great river, that is, the Tigris” (v.4) and ended with him and two heavenly beings standing by “the bank of the river” (Dan 12:5). And a “man dressed in linen” was present at the beginning (v.5) and at the end (Dan 12:6-7). Daniel’s vision may be outlined in terms of six key ideas.The future of God’s people: Daniel 10 to 12 is “the vision [that] pertains to the days yet future,” and it is about “what will happen to your people [Israel] in the latter days” (v.14). This vision expands on certain themes in Daniel’s vision of the “Seventy Weeks” decreed for God’s people (Dan 9:24-27). In the vision, a particular focus is given to the conflicts of two Greek kingdoms. Daniel 11:2-12:4 “portrays a history that would stretch into the future beyond Daniel”³³ . Alexander the Great overthrew Persia, and after his death, his kingdom was “broken up and parceled out” into four kingdoms (Dan 11:2-4). Daniel 11:5-45 outlines “the cycle of plots and schemes and battles”³⁴ between two post-Alexander Greek kingdoms in the South – the Ptolemies in Egypt, and the North – the Seleucids in Syria. This had profound effects on the people of God, Israel, who had returned to their land (Ezr and Neh). The land of Palestine – “the Beautiful Land” (Dan 11:16, 41) – lay between these two rival kingdoms, and as a result, “the fate of the Jews” was “at the mercy of one or the other”³⁵ .

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³¹ 1 Timothy 4:1; 2 Peter 2:1 ³² Christopher J. H. Wright, 212 ³³ Christopher J. H. Wright, 221 ³⁴ Christopher J. H. Wright, 222 ³⁵ Christopher J. H. Wright, 222