August 16, 2026

The Immediate Future – Daniel 11:2-35

Ice Breaker

1. Read Daniel 11:2-35 as a group.
2. Do you think passages like this are suitable for preaching and teaching in the local church? Why or why not?

Loving God Unreservedly

3. Why does God sometimes allow evil empires to prosper?
4. How would you describe the “spirit of the antichrist” (1 John 4:3)? Where do you see this spirit at work today?
5. How have you previously thought about the coming of the antichrist? How does it fit with the prophecy of Daniel 11?

Loving People Sacrificially

6. What details were given concerning Israel’s history under Persia? (11:2)
7. What was the importance of the emergence of “a mighty king”? (11:3–4)
8. What would take place between the king of the South and the king of the North? (11:5–20)
9. What was revealed about the “contemptible person”? (11:21–35)
10. What are the tools Antiochus uses to achieve his evil goals? How might you be tempted to use these same means in your own life?
11. Read Luke 6:43–45 and James 1:13–15. What do these verses say about the source of our sin?

Making Disciples Purposefully

12. With out sounding judgmental, how can the subject of the immediate future help us witness to others that don’t believe?

Dig Deeper (optional/personal study)

13. Reflect: Why does Daniel’s apocalyptic writings include details pertaining to the Seleucid and Ptolemy dynasties?

• During your reflection time, what is the importance of observing history in prophecy?
• The “abomination of desolation,” was cited by Jesus, not as a historical event that passed, rather as something greater in the future. (Matt. 24:15-16)
• At what point does the historical part of the apocalyptic genre of Daniel 11 shift to an eschatological prophecy? Can you identify when in the text this occurs?
• What is the importance of prayer, discernment, and perseverance in the big picture of God’s unfolding plan for all human history?

*Recommended resource to survey the historical time frame from Daniel 11, covers periods from 334-160 B.C., (Chs. 15-20):

Bruce, F. F. (2021). Israel and the Nations: The History of Israel from the Exodus to the Fall of the Second Temple. Nashville, TN; Bath, England: Kingsley Books.