III. The Grecian Empire and the Rise of Alexander the Great, 3-4
“Then a mighty king shall arise, who shall rule with great dominion, and do according to his will. And when he has arisen, his kingdom shall be broken up and divided toward the four winds of heaven, but not among his posterity nor according to his dominion with which he ruled; for his kingdom shall be uprooted, even for others besides these.”
A. After the death of this “mighty king,” his kingdom would be divided after him among four different kings. We know this did not apply to any Persian king because the Persian Empire was never divided.
B. So, in the time of Xerxes, a “mighty king” would arise from the South. This king (Alexander the Great) would be stronger, more powerful, greater, and more expansive than all of his predecessors. Alexander would later use the war of Xerxes to justify his own attack against Persia when he set out to conquer the world. Greece is the Ram of chapter eight and Alexander is the horn that was broken.
1. Despite his power, he would be broken and his kingdom “parceled out toward the four winds.”
2. Verse four tells us that his kingdom would not be given to his descendants, “but not among his posterity.”
“When Alexander the Great died, he was actually succeeded by his brother Philip Aridæus, and [also] by his own two sons; but in the space of about fifteen years they were all murdered, and the kingdom, was entirely broken.” (Benson). Thus, it was not divided “among his posterity.”
After this, the empire was divided between four of Alexander’s generals. These were the four notable horns that came up in the place of the one in chapter 8. These are the four heads of the leopard in the chapter 7. These four rulers divided the empire “toward the four winds of heaven,” verse 8. In other words, in all four directions.
a. Lysimachus took Thrace and much of Asia Minor.
b. Cassander controlled Macedonia and Greece.
c. Ptolemy I ruled Egypt, Palestine, Cilicia, Petra, and Cyprus and founded the Ptolemaic Dynasty which lasted until the death of Cleopatra VII in 30 BC.
d. Seleucus I ruled the remainder of Asia and founded the great Seleucid Empire which also comprised Mesopotamia, Persia, and part of India. Verse 24 says that “four kingdoms shall arise out of that nation, but not with its power.” After the death of Alexander the Great, four kingdoms would arise out of that nation, but the goat would never again enjoy the power it had under Alexander.
IV. The Rise of Seleucus and the Seleucid Empire, 5 (The king of the north)
Although the great Grecian “kingdom of Alexander was divided into four principal parts, only Egypt and Syria [would survive and they will be the focus of these prophesies]. Macedon had been conquered by Lysimachus, and annexed to Thrace. But later, Lysimachus was conquered by Seleucus I, thus the kingdoms of Macedon and Thrace were annexed to Syria.”
The reason Egypt and Syria are the focus of these prophecies is because Israel lay smack dab between them and would at times be in the possession of one and then the other. “Scripture typically interweaves only as much of foreign affairs [into the biblical narrative that is relative to Jewish history. Because of their] situation to Judea, the kings of Egypt and Syria are [referred to] as the kings of the north and the south.” (Bishop Newton)
“In the intrigue after Alexander’s death, Seleucus would ultimately gain control over Syria and became king of the North. The dynasty of the Seleucid line would continue until 64 B.C. The kingdom of the South would be ruled by the Ptolemies.”
Verse five says, “The king of the South will grow strong, but one of his commanders will grow even stronger and will rule his own kingdom with great authority.”
The “commander” of which verse five speaks refers to Seleucus who had originally served as an infantry general under Alexander the Great. Antigonus was the general who expelled Seleucus from Babylon and took over Seleucus’ portion of the kingdom. Seleucus then fled to Egypt where Ptolemy I made him general of his army.
Seleucus later defeated Antigonus in 312 BC and was given Syria, Palestine, and Babylon; thus, this “commander” of Egypt became a king. Seleucus I and his successors eventually spread the kingdom from north of Israel to the far-east making it a kingdom far greater in size than that of Egypt, thus, he “ruled his own kingdom with great authority.” Since the Seleucid king established his capital in Syria, he became known as the “King of the north,” verse 7.
V. Antiochus I and the Gap Between Verses Five and Six, “And at the end of some years.”
From Amazing Bible Timeline with World History
https://amazingbibletimeline.com/blog/syria-antiochus-i/
“When Seleucus I was assassinated in 281 B.C by rival generals who had also served under Alexander the Great, [his son], Antiochus I, took over the empire and inherited a huge mess. He had to make peace with Ptolemy II of Egypt who was responsible for assassinating his father. The rest of the empire began to revolt against his rule and he had trouble trying to keep it unified. He eventually went to war with Ptolemy II over the territory of Syria. Antiochus didn’t lose any territory after this conflict, yet Ptolemy sill claimed the land.”
Ptolemy II, and Antiochus I, continued to war against one another but the war would end in a deadlock. In 261 BC, Antiochus I died and was succeeded by his son, Antiochus II, and Ptolemy II continued the war against him as well.