When the Most High gave the nations their inheritance,
when He divided the sons of man,
He set the boundaries of the peoples
according to the number of the sons of God.Deut 32:8
There's more to this statement than most realize. It becomes clearer when you consider the statement in light of the Book of Enoch.
For those familiar with Enoch, you know that there is a relationship between principalities and the nations of the earth. This is not to say that humans are completely at their disposal. But they do have roles and influence into our realm.
See: The Divine Assembly
Hold onto that thought for a few minutes.
From a previous post about Daniel 8, we know that the "four prominent horns" represent four prominent kingdoms of the Diadochi that emerged after the death of Alexander the Great. From one of these horns (Diadochi), a little horn emerges:
From one of these horns a little horn emerged and grew extensively toward the south and the east and toward the Beautiful Land. It grew as high as the host of heaven, and it cast down some of the host and some of the stars to the earth, and trampled them. It magnified itself, even to the Prince of the host; it removed His daily sacrifice and overthrew the place of His sanctuary. And in the rebellion, the host and the daily sacrifice were given over to the horn, and it flung truth to the ground and prospered in whatever it did.
Dan 8:9-12
Dan 11 describes the activity of two prominent members of the Diadochi - the king of the North (Seleucus) and the king of the south (Ptolemy). Daniel documents the conflict between these two rival members of the Diadochi in considerable detail. The chapter ends with Daniel's description of the activity of a final last days iteration of this Seleucid king:
At the time of the end, the king of the South will engage him in battle, but the king of the North will storm out against him with chariots, horsemen, and many ships, invading many countries and sweeping through them like a flood. He will also invade the Beautiful Land, and many countries will fall. But these will be delivered from his hand: Edom, Moab, and the leaders of the Ammonites.
He will extend his power over many countries, and not even the land of Egypt will escape. He will gain control of the treasures of gold and silver and over all the riches of Egypt, and the Libyans and Cushites will also submit to him.
But news from the east and the north will alarm him, and he will go out with great fury to destroy many and devote them to destruction. He will pitch his royal tents between the sea and the beautiful holy mountain, but he will meet his end with no one to help him.
Dan 11:40-45
The history of conflict between Israel and the Assyrian and then Babylonian empires is well documented. These were empires that occupied the same territories as the Seleucid empire. And statements within our own canon about "the Assyrian" and the role of "Babylon" in the last days are hard to ignore.
The Book of Enoch also has something to say about this region to the north and east of Israel.
And in those days, the Angels will gather together, and will throw themselves towards the east, upon the Parthians and Medes. They will stir up the kings so that a disturbing spirit will come upon them, and they will drive them from their thrones; and they will come out like lions from their lairs, and like hungry wolves in the middle of their flocks.
And they will go up and trample on the Land of My Chosen Ones, and the land of my chosen ones will become before them a tramping-ground and a beaten track.
But the City of My Righteous Ones will be a hindrance to their horses, and they will stir up slaughter amongst themselves, and their own right hand will be strong against them.
Enoch 56:5-7
Something to note here. The terms Parthians and the Medes would be anachronistic to the time of Enoch. Those people groups would not have existed at the time of Enoch. I, like others, believe these are copyist insertions that occurred sometime after the time Enoch was written. I believe the copyist was trying to preserve something - location. These groups occupied territories to the north and east of Israel.
There are other similarities between this text in Enoch and our western canon. The "trampling on the land of My Chosen Ones" and "the City of My Righteous Ones will be a hindrance to their horses".
What does that remind you of?
Note also that Enoch records that "Angels gather together and throw themselves towards the east". This implies that spiritual entities are directly involved.
These spiritual entities are responsible for "stirring up the kings so that a disturbing spirit will come upon them, and they will drive them from their thrones".
Daniel records something similar here:
"However, the prince [angel] of the kingdom of Persia opposed me for twenty-one days. Then Michael [the Archangel], one of the chief princes [angels], came to help me...
I must return at once to fight against the prince of Persia, and when I have gone forth, behold, the prince [angel] of Greece will come."
Dan 10:13, 20
The times are different. But there is a precedent here. What's happened in the past, continues to happen, and will continue to happen in the future.
Our struggle is not just against flesh and blood (Eph 6:12). There are principalities involved in the affairs of nations.
I don't know who those four prominent horns referenced in Daniel 8 are. It's probably safe to assume that Seleucus is one and that Ptolemy is a second (Dan 11). My guess is that Antigonus may be a third - but I could be wrong. I believe the last days iteration of all four of the prominent horns make up the four beasts described in Daniel 7. But it's a bit early to determine who those four are.
And while threats to "the land of My chosen ones" have and will continue to come from many directions; our canon and Enoch both point to a primary threat coming from regions to the north and east of Israel. And like other nations, these adversaries are under the influence of principalities.
