Dan 11:10. And sons of him, they shall engage in strife, and they shall assemble multitude of forces great, and he shall come to come, and he shall overflow, and he shall pass, and he shall do again, and they shall engage in strife until fortress of her.
There is a problem with the spelling of a word in this verse and that is with the word “sons.” There is no word in the Old Testament that is the same as this word in the Hebrew.
כָנָו
If the word is to be translated “son” of him as in Gen 4:17, then the wording in Hebrew is:
כְּנוֹ
If the word is to be translated “sons” of him as in Ezek 46:17 then the wording in Hebrew is:
כָּנָ׳ו
But there is no translation for a Hebrew word in between, because the yod ׳ letter is missing. This means that the word must have been a scribal error when the scribe translated this word. The Masoretes (Jewish scholars before the tenth century who compiled critical notes and traditions relating to the texts of the Hebrew Bible), marked an alternative word that fixes this error and that is they inserted the letter yod ׳ back into the word, hence the word is translated “sons.” This is the correct translation of the word.
Therefore, the word becomes “sons of him” in the plural.
Who were the sons of the emperor Constantine?
“The sons of Constantine were Constantine II, Constantius and Constans. The Roman empire was divided into three parts. Constantius received the East. The other two brothers received the West but soon fell out with each other resulting in a war where Constantine II was killed in 340. In 350 Constans was murdered by a usurper, Magnentius, who was in turn defeated two years later by Constantius in 353. The Empire was now united under Constantius.”[1]
Dan 11:11.12. Then he will be moved with rage the king of the South and he shall come out and he shall fight with him against the king of the North and he shall cause to stand a great multitude shall be given in hand of him. And when the multitude is taken the heart of him shall be exalted and he shall make fall ten thousand, but he shall not prevail.
“Julian was a nephew of Constantine and became Emperor in 361. Julian now attempted to convert the Empire to a religion which he called `Hellenism. ´”[2]
What is Hellenism?
“In his (Julian´s) education he had felt closest to Plato and other great writers of ancient Greece, whom he studied under sympathetic tutors. Finally, he was influenced by the skill of the Neoplatonic magician and medium, Maximus. Julian made a unique attempt to combine many old elements in an organized pagan `church. ´
The principal deity was Plato´s Supreme Being, whose chief visible representative was the life-giving Sun, identified with Helios and Mithras in the mythologies of the day. Syncretism prevailed, and it was possible to regard all the old and new gods with their cults and rituals as originating from the Sun. Thus, the world of Greek culture, mythology and ritual could be retained without sacrificing the lofty monotheism of the Sun.
This is not the first time Hellenism infiltrated the East and the Middle East. Alexander the Great introduced Hellenism when he overtook the then known world from the Medo-Persians.
Julian paid tribute to the Christian church by attempting to incorporate in his `Hellenism´ some of the more successful features of Christianity.”[3]
So the king of the South is taking on a broader meaning from paganism. That is Hellenism and everything to do with the Grecian culture and mythology.
Julian represents the king of the North. Hellenism and paganism represent the king of the South. The Roman Empire and the church is being influenced with Hellenism and paganism. A great multitude is won over to the Hellenistic influence and many believed in Greek mythology. The church also accepted the false Greek teaching that the soul at death goes to heaven. This teaching is against the Biblical teaching that when you die, you sleep in the grave until the resurrection at the Second Coming of Christ, when all believers will be raised from the grave to meet the Lord in the air. 2 Thessalonians 4:13-18.
Dan 11:11.12. Then he will be moved with rage the king of the South and he shall come out and he shall fight with him against the king of the North and he shall cause to stand a great multitude shall be given in hand of him. And when the multitude is taken the heart of him shall be exalted and he shall make fall ten thousand, but he shall not prevail.
The words “he shall not prevail” also means he will not be victorious or gain the mastery. Why?
Dan 11:13. And he shall do again the king of the North and he shall cause to stand a great multitude more greater than the first. To the end of the times more greater than the first. To the end of the times years, he shall come to come with a great army and abundant possession.
The king of the North is still the Emperor of the Roman Empire. The king of the North shall come with a great army and attack the king of the South who represents paganism and Hellenism. Therefore, the king of the South shall not prevail.
How did this happen?
The following Emperors after Jovian were Christian: Julian 363, Valentinian I 364-375, Valens 364-378, Gratian 375-383.[4]
“The reigns of Gratian and of Theodosius I 379-395 finally decided the fate of paganism. Both Gratian and Theodosius strongly supported the orthodox faith. But the imperial policy of outlawing heresy and the pagan religion during these years was partly the work of the great bishop Ambrose who was elected to the see of Milan in 374.”[5]
“Ambrose became the bishop at the age of thirty-four and held the position for twenty-three years. He was particularly influential because Milan, rather than Rome, was at the same time the Emperor´s residence in the West. The Western Emperor´s Gratian and Valentinian II 383-392, came under his direct influence, as did Theodosius when in the West during some of the most critical years of his reign.”[6]
This citation is significant because Ambrose is laying the foundation for the establishment of the Roman Catholic church´s power after the felling of the three tribes in Dan 11:14 and the end of the rulership of the Emperors of the Roman Empire in 476.
“(Gratian) He once again removed the altar of Victory from the Senate House in Rome, confiscated the revenues of the Vestal Virgins and other Roman priesthoods, and refused the title of Pontifex Maximus (High Priest), which previous Christian emperors had taken.”[7]
“Finally, in 391, Theodosius prohibited all sacrifices and closed all temples. The next year private pagan worship was forbidden too.”[8]
[1] Dowley, A Lion Handbook. The History of Christianity, 135.
[2] Ibid., 137.
[3] Ibid., 137.
[4] Ibid., 138.
[5] Ibid., 139.
[6] Ibid., 139.
[7] Ibid., 140.
[8] Ibid., 141.