Daniel 8 - Anitochus & Antichrist Put Down

Introduction

[ILLUS] Guests aboard an Ambassador Cruise Line ship were recently subjected to an unexpected horror. While cruising the Faroe Islands, passengers on deck suddenly found themselves witnessing local hunters butchering 78 pilot whales. The hunting and harvesting of whales is common on the Faroe Islands, but guests aboard the cruise ship described it as a slaughter, a massacre, and distressing.

One moment you’re cruising along; the next you hear the wailing, see the blood, and you find yourself witnessing an unexpected horror.

In Daniel 8, Daniel is allowed to witness an unexpected horror, but in allowing Daniel to witness it, God prepared his people for it.

[READING] Daniel 8:1-9

Daniel 8:1–9 NASB95

1 In the third year of the reign of Belshazzar the king a vision appeared to me, Daniel, subsequent to the one which appeared to me previously. 2 I looked in the vision, and while I was looking I was in the citadel of Susa, which is in the province of Elam; and I looked in the vision and I myself was beside the Ulai Canal. 3 Then I lifted my eyes and looked, and behold, a ram which had two horns was standing in front of the canal. Now the two horns were long, but one was longer than the other, with the longer one coming up last. 4 I saw the ram butting westward, northward, and southward, and no other beasts could stand before him nor was there anyone to rescue from his power, but he did as he pleased and magnified himself. 5 While I was observing, behold, a male goat was coming from the west over the surface of the whole earth without touching the ground; and the goat had a conspicuous horn between his eyes. 6 He came up to the ram that had the two horns, which I had seen standing in front of the canal, and rushed at him in his mighty wrath. 7 I saw him come beside the ram, and he was enraged at him; and he struck the ram and shattered his two horns, and the ram had no strength to withstand him. So he hurled him to the ground and trampled on him, and there was none to rescue the ram from his power. 8 Then the male goat magnified himself exceedingly. But as soon as he was mighty, the large horn was broken; and in its place there came up four conspicuous horns toward the four winds of heaven. 9 Out of one of them came forth a rather small horn which grew exceedingly great toward the south, toward the east, and toward the Beautiful Land.

[PRAYER]

[TS] Let’s notice three PARTS to this chapter…

Major Ideas

PART #1: The Ram and the Goat (vv. 1-8; 15-22)

Daniel 8:15–22 NASB95

15 When I, Daniel, had seen the vision, I sought to understand it; and behold, standing before me was one who looked like a man. 16 And I heard the voice of a man between the banks of Ulai, and he called out and said, “Gabriel, give this man an understanding of the vision.” 17 So he came near to where I was standing, and when he came I was frightened and fell on my face; but he said to me, “Son of man, understand that the vision pertains to the time of the end.” 18 Now while he was talking with me, I sank into a deep sleep with my face to the ground; but he touched me and made me stand upright. 19 He said, “Behold, I am going to let you know what will occur at the final period of the indignation, for it pertains to the appointed time of the end. 20 “The ram which you saw with the two horns represents the kings of Media and Persia. 21 “The shaggy goat represents the kingdom of Greece, and the large horn that is between his eyes is the first king. 22 “The broken horn and the four horns that arose in its place represent four kingdoms which will arise from his nation, although not with his power.

[EXP]

Ram with Two Horns (2-4) = Medes & Persians

Ram a fitting symbol of this empire because the Persian ruler carried the gold head of a ram when he lead his army

Persia = bigger horn because it was that stronger half of that joint kingdom

Medes & Persians would conquer the Babylonians

Male Goat (5-8) = Greece and Alexander the Great

feet didn’t touch the ground = he conquered quickly;

Alexander would conquer Medes & Persians

[ILLUS] Sparring with someone in karate, seeing the pattern of this person’s strikes, knew what to expect, so responded with counter-strike

[APP] With theses two kingdoms, God allows us to see a pattern that I believe will continue all the way up to the end. He allows us to see it so that we know what to expect, so we can be prepared to respond faithfully. Here’s the pattern…

Each earthly kingdom is a warring kingdom.

The ram (Media-Persia) is butting westward (v. 4).

The goat (Greece/Alexander the Great) is rushing in mighty wrath (v. 6).

The little horn (which we haven’t discussed yet) tramples (v. 10).

Each earthly kingdom is a warring kingdom.

Each earthly kingdom is a prideful kingdom.

The ram “did as he pleased and magnified himself,” (v. 4).

The goat “magnified himself exceedingly,” (v. 8).

“Because of his incredible success the Greek king became proud. Achilles (the mightiest warrior on the Greek side in the Trojan War) was Alexander’s hero, and he believed that Achilles and the god Hercules were his ancestors. Whether out of pride or for political reasons or both, Alexander required the provinces to worship him as a god.” Stephen Miller, NAC Daniel

The little horn “magnified itself to be equal with the Commander of the host,” (v. 11).

But each earthly kingdom is a temporary kingdom.

The ram is put down in v. 7.

The goat is put down in v. 8.

When Alexander (the large horn) died, he left two sons, Alexander IV and Herakles, both of whom were murdered. After a period of infighting and struggle, the empire was divided among four Greek military leaders (“four prominent horns”).

And we’ll see the little horn put down in v. 25.

All earthly kingdoms seem fierce and exalted, but they will all pass away.

The divine kingdom of Jesus, however, endures forever.

Therefore, we fear no earthly kingdom and live for his kingdom alone.

[TS]…

PART #2: The Little Horn (vv. 9-14; 23-26)

Daniel 8:9–14 NASB95

9 Out of one of them came forth a rather small horn which grew exceedingly great toward the south, toward the east, and toward the Beautiful Land. 10 It grew up to the host of heaven and caused some of the host and some of the stars to fall to the earth, and it trampled them down. 11 It even magnified itself to be equal with the Commander of the host; and it removed the regular sacrifice from Him, and the place of His sanctuary was thrown down. 12 And on account of transgression the host will be given over to the horn along with the regular sacrifice; and it will fling truth to the ground and perform its will and prosper. 13 Then I heard a holy one speaking, and another holy one said to that particular one who was speaking, “How long will the vision about the regular sacrifice apply, while the transgression causes horror, so as to allow both the holy place and the host to be trampled?” 14 He said to me, “For 2,300 evenings and mornings; then the holy place will be properly restored.”

Daniel 8:23–25 NASB95

23 “In the latter period of their rule, When the transgressors have run their course, A king will arise, Insolent and skilled in intrigue. 24 “His power will be mighty, but not by his own power, And he will destroy to an extraordinary degree And prosper and perform his will; He will destroy mighty men and the holy people. 25 “And through his shrewdness He will cause deceit to succeed by his influence; And he will magnify himself in his heart, And he will destroy many while they are at ease. He will even oppose the Prince of princes, But he will be broken without human agency.

[EXP]

Little Horn = Antiochus IV Epiphanes who came to power from within one of the four kingdoms that arose from Alexander the Great’s kingdom (scholars pretty unanimous on this)

From vv. 9-14 we see that…

he will assault “the Beautiful Land” (i.e., the Promised Land)

he will trample the host of heaven and the stars in the sky (i.e., the people of God; cf. Joseph’s dream about Jacob, Rachel, and all his brothers)

Genesis 37:9 NASB95

9 Now he had still another dream, and related it to his brothers, and said, “Lo, I have had still another dream; and behold, the sun and the moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me.”

he will magnify himself in comparison with the Command of the house (i.e., God)

he will remove the regular sacrifice and dishonor the temple

he will persecute the host (i.e., the people of God) and disparage the truth

From vv. 23-26 we see that…

he will be insolent (boldly rude) and skilled in intrigue (i.e., he will be crafty and manipulative)

he will be powerful, but his power will not be his own (it will be satanic)

he will be a destroyer or corrupter to an extraordinary degree

During Antiochus’s persecution, he executed thousands of Jews; he plundered the temple treasures; and he attacked Jerusalem and slaughtered approximately 80,000 men, women, boys, girls, and infants.

he will be seemingly unstoppable

he will destroy powerful people and even the people of God

he will be exalt deceitfulness

he will magnify himself in his own heart (i.e., he will be his own biggest fan)

Antiochus gave himself the name “Ephiphanes” which means “the illustrious one,” and he had coins minted that declared Antiochus to be theos ephiphanes (God manifest).

he will catch some unaware and destroy many will they are at ease (which may mean that he will betray them)

he will directly oppose the Prince of princes (i.e., God Almighty)

When Antiochus found books of God’s law, they were torn to pieces and burned with fire. Those who possessed such books were condemned to death.

In 167 B.C. he ordered the sacrifices to YHWH stopped and committed his crowning act of sacrilege by erecting an altar to Zeus in the temple and sacrificing pigs upon it.

BUT he and all his horror will come to an end; he will be broken without human agency…

Daniel 8:13–14 NASB95

13 Then I heard a holy one speaking, and another holy one said to that particular one who was speaking, “How long will the vision about the regular sacrifice apply, while the transgression causes horror, so as to allow both the holy place and the host to be trampled?” 14 He said to me, “For 2,300 evenings and mornings; then the holy place will be properly restored.”

The phrase “2,300 evenings and mornings” likely refers to 2,300 days (i.e., a little over 6 years) and likely refers to the six year period of persecution that Antiochus executed against the Jews in Jerusalem from approximately 171 B.C. to 165 B.C.

Alternatively it may refer to the 2,300 evening and morning sacrifices that were outlawed by Antiochus for a little over three years during that persecution.

Either way, Antiochus and his horrors will come to an end.

Antiochus died grief-stricken after being defeated in the siege of the city Elymais and receiving news that his forces had been defeated by the Jews in the Promised Land.

[APP] Antiochus IV seems to be a type of the final antichrist to come at the end of time. Many parallels exist between the two individuals…

1. Antiochus (8:9) and Antichrist (7:8) are symbolized by horns that were “little” or “small” at the beginning. Representing both kings as little horns supports the idea that one king prefigures the other.

2. Antiochus was “a stern-faced king” (8:23), and Antichrist will have an “imposing” look (7:20). Both of these descriptions imply cruelty and harshness.

3. Antiochus was “a master of intrigue” (8:23), and the brilliance of the Antichrist is suggested by the “eyes” of the horn (7:8, 20). The ability to offer seemingly correct solutions to the world’s perplexing problems may be one factor that will catapult Antichrist to power.

4. Antiochus had great power (8:24); Antichrist will have greater power (cf. 11:39; 2 Thess 2:9; Rev 13:7–8). Yet 8:24 says that it was not Antiochus’s “own power.” His power was that of Satan, who controlled him, and this satanic inspiration was the reason he attempted to destroy God’s people, the Jews. Antichrist also will be energized by Satan (cf. 2 Thess 2:9; Rev 13:2), and this is one reason he will attack God’s people as well.

5. Antiochus destroyed thousands (8:24); Antichrist will destroy more (Rev 13:15; 16:13–16).

6. Antiochus prospered for a short while (8:24), and Antichrist will prosper for a brief time (11:36; Rev 17:12).

7. Antiochus persecuted the saints (8:24); Antichrist also will oppress believers (7:21, 25; Rev 13:7).

[TS] What do we do knowing that Antichrist is coming and that he’ll be worse than Antiochus?

PART #3: The Prophet (vv. 26-27)

Daniel 8:26–27 NASB95

26 “The vision of the evenings and mornings Which has been told is true; But keep the vision secret, For it pertains to many days in the future.” 27 Then I, Daniel, was exhausted and sick for days. Then I got up again and carried on the king’s business; but I was astounded at the vision, and there was none to explain it.

[EXP]

Daniel told to keep this vision quiet because…

…Babylon wouldn’t have welcomed the news of its demise at the hands of the Medes-Persians…

…the Medes-Persians wouldn’t have welcomed the news of its demise at the hands of Greece…

…because Greece and Alexander the Great wouldn’t have welcomed the news of Greece’s demise with the death of Alexander the Great…

…because Antiochus, if he could have discerned the vision as pertaining to himself, wouldn’t have welcomed the news of his demise.

But WHY did the vision leave Daniel exalted and sick?

because visions were overwhelming

because of the terrible ruler coming to torment God’s people

because of the terrible pain to be endured by God’s people

because of more upheaval when Daniel had already been through so much upheaval

because there were still things that Daniel didn’t understand

But WHAT did Daniel do?

He got up and carried on the king’s business.

[APP] You and I work for King Jesus. We know Antichrist is coming. We know that may mean pain for believers still living during that time. It may make us sick to think very long about the persecution and upheaval that will prevail on the earth at that time…

…but our King is still on the throne, and he will always be!

Therefore, despite what we’ve seen in this vision tonight—despite the fact that all our questions about the Antichrist and the end times haven’t been answered—we can and should get up tomorrow and carry on with the King’s business.

[TS]…

Conclusion

[PRAYER]