There are at least two schools of thought regarding this section of the Bible’s book of Daniel. One maintains, due to the historical accuracy of chapter 11, verses 2 through 32, describing the conflicts between the Seleucid King of the North and the Ptolemaic King of the South, that Daniel must have been written, or at least edited, during the period of their conflict, that is, during the second century, B.C., in the area of the Holy Land. Many who take this view equate the King of the North with one Antiochus Epiphanes IV (c. 215 B.C. - 164 B.C.) who persecuted the Jews and defiled the Jerusalem Temple. One problem with this view is that the fate of the King of the North, described in Daniel 11:36-45, doesn't seem to match the historical record concerning Antiochus Epiphanes IV.
Another school of thought maintains that the Bible's book of Daniel was written during the Babylonian Exile of the Jewish people, that is, 587/586 B.C. - 539 B.C., the period in which Daniel the Prophet is reported to have lived and ministered. This view shares a similar problem with the view described above, namely the difficulty of identifying the King of the North and what is meant by "the time of the end." Some identify the King of the North with Caesar. Others identify the King of the North with the Pope. Several other possibilities have been put forward, too. Some identify the time of the end with the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. Others identify the time of the end with some distant future resurrection and judgment (See Daniel 12:2). The possibilities seem endless to me.
I feel we humans have little need to know such details. The meaning of Daniel's vision was hidden from the prophet himself (See Daniel 12:4). Why should it be revealed to others?
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