There are some things in this world that I understand. And then, there are other things that I don’t, but it’s because I never knew the beginning of the story. It’s hard to just jump into the middle of a story and understand what’s going on. Today, the Holy Spirit showed me the beginning of the story of conflict in Palestine.
“’But a powerful king shall appear and rule with great might doing as he wills. No sooner shall he appear than his kingdom shall be broken and divided in four directions under heaven; but not among his descendants or in keeping with his mighty rule, for his kingdom shall be torn to pieces and belong to others. The king of the south shall grow strong, but one of the princes shall grow stronger still and govern a domain greater than his.’” -Daniel 11:3-5 NASBRE
Well, we know that the angel is referring to Alexander the Great because that was prophesied in Daniel 8. But what’s this new in-depth detail in verse 5?
The king of the South was Ptolemy I Soter (Soter means “savior”.) He was a Macedonian Greek general, historian, king, and pharaoh of Ptolemaic Egypt. His domain included Egypt, Judea, Cyprus, Cyrenaica. He reigned from 323-285 BC (some sources say he died in 282 BC.)
The prince that grows stronger is Seleucas Nicator. His domain included Syria, Babylonia, Mesopotamia, Media, Persia, Asia Minor, and Cilicia along with some other Eastern territories. He reigned from 312-281 BC.
Seleucas Nicator is referred to as the king of the North while Ptolemy I Soter was referred to the king of the South. And they constantly fought over Palestine (aka: Judea, the glorious land.)
Why Palestine?
This conflict is as old as time. In a nutshell, the Jews view it as their ancestral home, their haven away from persecution. Palestine is recognized as “Eretz Yisrael” (the Land of Israel.) This is their homeland and birthplace of Jewish identity, culture, and religion. It is considered a holy land promised by God and it contains the ancient kingdoms as well as the Temple Mount, the most sacred site in Judaism. The Romans renamed Judea to “Syria Palestina” in the 2nd century CE to sever Jewish ties.
But Arab nationalism claims ancestral ties too. Palestinians see it as their rightful home because they’ve lived there for generations. In fact, they claim their connection to the land was before the establishment of Israel.
So, who’s right?
Oh, yeah, that answer is above my pay grade. What I do know is that God will put there whom God wants there. End times prophecy states it will be His chosen people, the Jews, never to be uprooted again (Amos 9:14-15.)
“I will restore my people Israel, they shall rebuild and inhabit their ruined cities, plant vineyards and drink the wine, set out gardens and eat the fruit. I will plant them upon the ground; never again shall they be plucked from the land I have given them - the Lord, your God, has spoken.” -Amos 9:14-15 NASBRE
Just a thought.