How do the prophetic campaigns reach the covenant crisis?

The speaker recalls standing to support Darius in his first year, then announces three more Persian kings and a fourth, richer king who will stir up all against Greece. A strong king rules with great power; his kingdom breaks toward the four winds, passing neither to his posterity nor with his former strength. A southern king grows strong, while another prince has greater dominion. After years they attempt an alliance through the southern king's daughter, but her power and seed do not stand, and she and her supporters are given up. One from her root enters the northern province with an army, prevails and carries gods, images and precious vessels to Egypt. The southern king enters the kingdom and returns to his own land.

Sons assemble forces, flood through and stir up war. The southern king fights a great multitude, wins, becomes proud and kills many, yet does not prevail. The north returns with a greater army and riches. Many rise against the south; prevaricators among Daniel's people rise to fulfill the vision and fall. The north casts up a mount and takes fortified cities; the southern forces cannot resist. He enters the glorious land, which is consumed, and gives a daughter to overthrow his opponent, but she does not stand for him. He turns to islands; a commander turns his reproach back upon him. Returning to his own land, he stumbles and is no more. Another unworthy ruler is destroyed after a few days, without rage or battle.

A despised successor gains the kingdom privately through fraud. Fighting forces and the prince of the covenant are broken. With few people he works deceit, enters rich cities and distributes spoil, devising against fortified places. A southern king raises a great army but fails through designs against him; those who eat his bread destroy him, and many of his army fall. Two kings speak lies at one table without success. Returning with riches, the ruler sets his heart against the holy covenant. His next southern campaign differs: Roman galleys strike him, and he returns indignant against the covenant and devises against those who forsake it. Forces defile the sanctuary, remove continual sacrifice and set up the abomination of desolation. The wicked dissemble through deceit, while those knowing God prevail. The learned instruct many but fall by sword, fire, captivity and spoil. They receive little help; many join deceitfully, and some learned fall to be tried, chosen and made white until the appointed time.

The king magnifies himself above every god and speaks against the God of gods until wrath is completed. He does not regard his fathers' God and follows the lust of women. He honors Maozim with precious gifts and fortifies it with a strange god, giving its adherents glory, power and land gratis. At the prefixed time the south fights him and the north comes against him with chariots, horsemen and ships. Countries fall, but Edom, Moab and Ammon's principality escape. Egypt does not escape; he controls its precious things and passes through Libya and Ethiopia. News from east and north troubles him; he goes out to destroy many. He plants Apadno's tabernacle between the seas on the glorious holy mountain, comes to its top, and none helps him.

The edition identifies the Persian sequence as Cambyses, Smerdes, Darius Hystaspes and Xerxes, and the strong king as Alexander. Its southern and northern readings name Ptolemeus Lagus and Seleucus; Berenice and Antiochus Theos; Evergetes and Callinicus; Ceraunius, Antiochus the Great and Philopator; Cleopatra and Epiphanes; Scipio; and Seleucus Philopator, slain by Heliodorus whom he had sent to plunder the temple. It identifies the despised ruler as Antiochus, while noting Jerome and others apply the passage as a figure of Antichrist. The covenant prince may mean leaders opposed to Antiochus or Egypt's king. It names Philometor and the Roman embassy of Popilius, explains the abomination as Jupiter Olympius, Maozim as forces or strongholds, and Apadno as a place name or palace. These notes do not add Onias, Raphia or a definite death scene to the prophetic wording.