Read Daniel 11:1-4. What do we see here that reminds us of some of the previous prophecies we have seen in Daniel?

Gabriel tells Daniel that three kings will still rise from Persia. They will be followed by the fourth king, who will be the richest one of all and will provoke the Greeks. After Cyrus, three successive kings exert dominion over Persia: Cambyses (530-522 B.C.),

Cyrus and Daniel Image © Review and Herald Publishing collection at GoodSalt.com

the False Smerdis (522 B.C.), and Darius I (522-486 B.C.). The fourth king is Xerxes, mentioned in the book of Esther as Ahasuerus. He is very wealthy (Esther 1:1-7) and marshals a vast army to invade Greece, as predicted in the prophecy. But, in spite of his power, he is repelled by a smaller force of valiant Greek soldiers.

It is not difficult to recognize Alexander the Great as the mighty king who arises in Daniel 11:3, and who becomes the absolute ruler of the ancient world. At the age of 32, he died without leaving an heir to rule the empire. So the kingdom was divided among his four generals: Seleucus over Syria and Mesopotamia, Ptolemy over Egypt, Lysimachus over Thrace and portions of Asia Minor, and Cassander over Macedonia and Greece.

Compare Daniel 11:2-4 with Daniel 8:3-8, Dan. 8:20-22. How do these texts together help identify Alexander as the power here?

What can we learn from this assortment of names, dates, places, and historical events? First, we learn that the prophecy is fulfilled as predicted by the divine messenger. God’s Word never fails. Second, God is the Lord of history. We may get the impression that the succession of political powers, leaders, and kingdoms is propelled by the ambition of emperors, dictators, and politicians of all stripes. However, the Bible reveals that God is in ultimate control and will move the wheel of history according to His divine purpose, which ultimately will lead to the eradication of evil and the establishment of God’s eternal kingdom.

<–Sabbath Monday–>

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Image © Pacific Press

Sabbath Afternoon

Read for This Week’s Study: Dan. 11:1-45; Dan. 8:3-8, Dan. 8:20-22; Isa. 46:9-10; Dan. 8:9, Dan. 8:23; Matt. 27:33-50.

Memory Text: “And some of those of understanding shall fall, to refine them, purify them, and make them white, until the time of the end; because it is still for the appointed time” (Daniel 11:35, NKJV).

As we begin this challenging chapter, a few points should be made at the outset. First, Daniel chapter 11 stands in parallel overall with the previous prophetic outlines in Daniel. As in chapters 2, 7, 8, and 9, the prophetic message extends from the days of the prophet until the end of time. Second, a succession of world powers emerges, powers that often oppress God’s people. Third, each prophetic outline climaxes with a happy ending. In Daniel 2, the stone obliterates the statue; in Daniel 7, the Son of Man receives the kingdom; and in Daniel 8 and 9, the heavenly sanctuary is cleansed through the work of the Messiah.

Chapter 11 follows three basic points. First, it begins with the Persian kings and discusses their fates and the time of the end, when the king of the north attacks the holy mountain of God. Second, a succession of battles between the king of the north and that of the south and how they affect God’s people is described. Third, it concludes with a happy ending as the king of the North faces his demise by the “glorious holy mountain” (Dan. 11:45). Such a positive conclusion signals the end of evil and the establishment of God’s eternal kingdom.

Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, March 21.

Sunday–>

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And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. Deuteronomy 6:5 NLT

Several years ago now, my friend Jean passed away at the age of 94. She lost her husband a couple years earlier and then became ill with cancer. She was telling her daughter she did not even know why she was still living. She felt old and useless. But one day her

My friend Jean and her husband Woody.

young health care nurse came for a routine visit. She told Jean about her own mother who had Alzheimer’s and would cry and shake constantly. Jean suggested buying a doll for her to hold. The young nurse did so and came back to tell Jean that it worked! No more shaking and crying. Jean was still helping people even though she was widowed, old and sick.

When Daniel was young he purposed in his heart to be true to God. Daniel 1:8 specifically mentions being true to God regarding his diet and health. We are not only stewards of God’s money but also time. The longer we can hold onto our health and strength, the longer we can serve God with all of our heart and strength. Daniel served God faithfully in his younger years, but as Daniel became old God was not finished using him. In Daniel 5 Daniel appears to have been overlooked by the current king, but just as God reminded the butler about Joseph at just the right moment, the queen remembered Daniel at just the right time. Daniel may have been brought out of retirement, so to speak, for that one night. Even so, God was not finished with Daniel even then. Daniel had a future with the next empire. A future in which the king who overlooked him had no share. Just like He used my friend Jean and just like He used Daniel, God will continue using us as long as we keep serving him with whatever heart and strength we have. 

Remember Psalms 23:6, God’s goodness and mercy shall be with me all the days of my life! And that was definitely true in Daniel’s case..

David also has a promise for the elderly who remain godly. 

But the godly will flourish like palm trees and grow strong like the cedars of Lebanon.  For they are transplanted to the Lord’s own house. They flourish in the courts of our God.  Even in old age they will still produce fruit; they will remain vital and green. Psalm 92:12-14 NLT 

A few years ago I was visiting an elderly shut-in from my church one morning. As I got ready to go I asked him to pray with me. He prayed that God would use both of us to share the Gospel that day. I thought to myself, he must be talking about me, because he will be here in his home alone all day. There is nothing he can do. I was so wrong! That evening when I got home from my last Bible study he called. He was so happy and excited. The cable repairman had come by the house, and while working on his TV he saw some Christian literature my elderly friend had on an end table. The repairman started asking questions about God, and my friend invited him to church. As I hung up I was reminded about his prayer and how I thought there was nothing he could do. God sure showed me! God showed me He will always use whatever health and strength we have to bear fruit even in our older years. When we love God with all of our health and strength He increases our health and strength even in old age. 

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Fetus Refused to Die

By Victor Hulbert

“I’m very sorry”, the doctor told Fusae Suzuki. “Your husband is very young but, unfortunately, he will die tonight or at the most in a few days”.

The news devastated the young Japanese mother. She went to the river to fetch water and, looking into the water, considered throwing herself in. But then two men in black suits appeared.

“Be patient for just a while”, said one.

“Yes, be patient”, said the other.

After those words, the men disappeared from her sight.

Image © Pacific Press

The encounter pulled Fusae back from despair, and she returned home to nurse her husband, Mitsuharu, a farmer stricken with tuberculosis.

Soon she was pregnant with her second child. Mitsuharu could not bear the thought of his wife struggling to raise two children on her own. Finally she agreed to his pleas to terminate the pregnancy. The government supported the decision.

The pharmacist prescribed a strong medicine that, she promised, would work without fail.

“Be careful with the medicine, and don’t exceed the prescribed dose”, she cautioned. “Otherwise, your own life will be in danger”.

Fusae swallowed the first dose, enough to end the pregnancy. Weeping in sorrow, she felt the fetus move. “My baby’s still alive!” she cried out.

The next day, she repeated the dose. Then again on the third day. Yet the fetus kept moving inside her. In desperation, she drained the medicine bottle, but still the baby remained alive.

“It’s totally unbelievable!” she told her husband.

A healthy baby boy was born. Several months later, she and Mitsuharu attended evangelistic meetings, and they were baptized on Akeri’s first birthday.

“Their baptismal date always reminds me that God intervened in my mother’s womb to save my life”, said Akeri Suzuki, a veteran Japanese pastor who retired after serving as executive secretary of the Adventist Church’s Northern Asia-Pacific Division. “My parents became the first Adventist church members in my village”.

Akeri was 30 before his mother revealed his origins.

“When I heard the story of my birth from my mother, I was terribly shocked and felt as if I had been struck by powerful lightening”, he said. “My whole body trembled”.

Overwhelmed by God’s tremendous love, he thought, “I am a very precious gift from God”.

He re-dedicated himself to God at that very moment.

“God intervened in my mother’s womb to save my life”, he said.

Victor Hulbert is communication director for the Trans-European Division.

Produced by the General Conference Office of Adventist Mission. Find more mission stories at adventistmission[dot]org

All Rights Reserved. No part of the Adult Sabbath School Bible Study Guide may be edited, altered, modified, adapted, translated, reproduced, or published by any person or entity without prior written authorization from the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists.

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Further Thought: 

“For three weeks Gabriel wrestled with the powers of darkness, seeking to counteract the influences at work on the mind of Cyrus.  … All that heaven could do in behalf of the people of God was done. The victory was finally gained; the forces of the enemy were held in check all the days of Cyrus, and all the days of his son Cambyses”. — Ellen G. White, Prophets and Kings, p. 572.

Image © Stan Myers from GoodSalt.com

“What great honor is shown to Daniel by the Majesty of heaven! He comforts His trembling servant and assures him that his prayer has been heard in heaven. In answer to that fervent petition the angel Gabriel was sent to affect the heart of the Persian king. The monarch had resisted the impressions of the Spirit of God during the three weeks while Daniel was fasting and praying, but heaven’s Prince, the Archangel, Michael, was sent to turn the heart of the stubborn king to take some decided action to answer the prayer of Daniel”. — Ellen G. White, The Sanctified Life, p. 51.

Discussion Questions:

<–Thursday

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