An Inconvenient Epiphany | Daniel 8

As we come into chapter 8, there are a few things that need to be noted.

With chapter 8, we move back into the Hebrew language. If you recall, Daniel is a unique book that is split almost 50/50 between Hebrew and Aramaic. Chapter one is in Hebrew, and functions as the prologue to the book. Chapters 2-7 are in Aramaic, which was the common language of known world at that time, and the themes present throughout those chapters would suggest for us that Daniel had a broader purpose and audience with those chapters. God wanted the world to know that even though His people were in exile and the kingdoms of men were changing hands and different rulers were assuming power, even though all that was going on, there is still a God who reigns on High. The Most High God reigns over all and no one should forget their place before Him.

Now as we come back into Hebrew, the intent noticeable changes. As Jim covered for us last week, Chapter seven serves as a kind of hinge chapter between the two halfs of the book. On the one hand, it was still in Aramaic, and thus still had a global focus. Kingdoms rise and fall, but the Ancient of Days reigns forever. Don’t be fooled, O kingdoms of this World. You may think that your kingdom will last forever. It won’t. There is a kingdom that will.

Chapter seven was the final chapter of Aramaic, but it was also the first of the prophetic chapters. Though there were dreams to the interpreted in chapters 2 and 4, and the startling prophetic handwriting on the wall in chapter 5, those were set in narrative portions of the book. Chapter seven was a vision and interpretation, as each chapter from this point forward are.

Now, however, as noted, the language shifts back to Hebrew. God has made known his plans and intent to the World, now he speaks directly to His people once again with a message that is intended specifically for them.

When we were covering chapter six, the story of Daniel being thrown to the Lions, I issued a caution for us as we looked at that passage. Sometimes that passage gets taught that if you just do what’s right, God will deliver you from your distress. I made note how it is true that God rescues the righteous, and will ultimately rescue and preserve the righteous eternally, but that wasn’t the point of Daniel 6. As we come into this latter portion of the book, we find prophecies of suffering for God’s people.

We first saw this in chapter 7. The little horn wore down the Saints, but his ultimate end was death and God reigns.

This gets expanded upon as move forward.

Chapter seven was primarily focused on the end of the kingdoms of men.

Chapter 8 is focused on things that must occur between Daniel’s vision and the end. There will come a time of incredible hardship for God’s people. But in that time, rest assured. God has not forgotten. God has not forsaken.

God is still Sovereign over the kingdoms of men

God is still sovereign over human leaders.

God’s sovereignty is not threatened even when God’s people suffer.

Let’s begin to read our text.

Daniel 8:1–8 LSB

In the third year of the reign of Belshazzar the king, a vision appeared to me, Daniel, after the one which appeared to me previously. And I looked in the vision. And it happened that 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. 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. I saw the ram butting westward, northward, and southward, and no other beasts could stand before it, nor was there anyone to deliver from its power, but it did as it pleased and magnified itself. And while I was considering, 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 its eyes. Then it came up to the ram that had the two horns, which I had seen standing in front of the canal, and ran at it in his strong wrath. And I saw it reach the side of the ram, and it was enraged at it; and it struck the ram and broke its two horns in pieces, and the ram had no strength to stand in opposition to it. So it threw it down to the ground and trampled on it, and there was none to deliver the ram from its power. Then the male goat magnified itself exceedingly. But as soon as it was mighty, the large horn was broken; and in its place there came up four conspicuous horns toward the four winds of heaven.

This vision occurs two years after the vision of chapter seven. By this point in world history, the Babylonian Empire is beginning to have difficulties. Cyrus of Persia was beginning to consolidate power, and Babylon began looking for allies to defend itself against growing Medio-Persian Empire. But it would be of no use. We have already seen how Babylon has fallen. The Handwriting was literally on the wall. But at the point of Daniel’s vision, that had not yet occured.

The Lord gives Daniel this vision to reveal what would come and how with the next two super powers.

First is Medio-Persion, which is represented by the Ram with two horns. Verse 20 is going to tell us directly that this is what the Ram represents, so we don’t have to guess.

If we were to open up history textbooks, we would find that this account of the Ram matches perfectly with what unfolded in history.

The Ram had two horns, but one was larger than the other and the larger one came up later. This was the Medio-Persian Empire. Media rose to significance first, then united with Persia, who ended up being the more dominant portion of that Empire.

The Medes and Persians conquered the known world; verse 4 says it did was it pleased, no one could stop it.

However, another animal appears. A goat from the west. Verse 21 tells us the Goat is Greece. The Goat moves rapidly. It says it doesn’t even touch the ground, it moves so fast its like its flying. The Goat, which is Greece, overpowers the Ram and tramples it.

Historically, Greece, led by Alexander the Great, who is the conspicuous horn on the Goat. And by the way, I know that might seem like a strange word. Conspicuous simply means that it was prominent. It was noticeable.

Well, Alexander had a grudge against the Persians for what they did to Greece as they conquered the world. Verse 6-7 say the Goat came in wrath and was enraged. Alexander had taken things personally and wanted revenge, and he got it! The Greek armies moved so fast. It took the Persians decades to solidify power and establish their empire. Alexander the Great conquered the known world in just three years.

And yet, as quickly as he rose to power and prominence, he’s gone. Verse 8 speaks of how he magnified himself exceedingly. He began to think of himself in terms of deity.

I love how the LSB puts this. “As soon as it was mighty, the large horn was broken”

Just as he came to the height of his power, it was all over.

Again, historically this is exactly as it played out. Alexander the Great died rather suddenly at the age of 32. He had been drinking heavily in the days leading up to his death. Some have suggested he died of malaria or or another disease, some suggest alcohol poisoning from how much he was drinking, and some believe he may have been assassinated with poison.

How he died isn’t that important. The fact is he died, and his kingdom was divided between four of his generals, which is what the text speaks of with the four horns.

Now, this is something we’ve noted several times as we’ve gone through this book, but it’s worth noting here again.

Because of the remarkable detail and accuracy of this text, critics of Daniel will claim that this prophecy was written after the fact and the author was merely pretending to be Daniel.

The reality is, however, that there is ample evidence to conclude that this really was written hundreds of years before these events took place!

So we are reminded once again. The Earth is the Lords. The kingdoms of men are under the Sovereignty of God.

The rulers of men are under the Sovereignty of God.

God remains sovereign over kings and kingdoms

This is a point we have hit many times, and before we are done we will hit it many more times, so much so that you might get tired of hearing it.

But each and every time I want to plead with you. don’t get tired of it!

Don’t forget it!

Kingdoms rise and fall. Leaders come and God. God knows it all, because He is the one who put them there in the first place.

President Biden doesn’t get elected without God putting him there. If Kamala Harris is elected in November, it will be because God raised her up for that. If President Trump secures reelection, it won’t be because of how great he is or how great he wants America to be, it will be because God is the one who raises up kings and sets them down.

This is the constant theme of Daniel, and I will continue to beat this drum because we need these reminders.

We are in this election cycle where tensions are about as high as they have been in recent years.

We can easily get worked up over this or that. We have all our conspiracy theories about elections, viruses, hurricanes, assassinations. And believe me, I love me a good conspiracy theory as much as the next guy. I’m willing to bet some of them are true.

But we talk about them as if the people who are purportedly behind those theories are actually pulling the strings.

But God is the one who is in control. If the conspiracy theory is true, it’s because God has allowed that to be. If the theories are false, it because God has made them false, and reality is whatever God has made it to be.

It is good to be reminded, that even when leaders like this conspicuous horn arises, it isn’t outside of God’s design, and as quickly God raises up a leader he can take him right out of the picture again in an instant.

Should that stop us from voting and participating in our political process? By no means! But should that stop us from being worked up and anxious about it all? Yes! It should give us peace.

Well, Daniel’s vision continues, and this is where things begin to get person for the Jewish people.

Daniel 8:9–14 LSB

And out of one of them came forth a rather small horn. And it grew exceedingly great toward the south, toward the east, and toward the Beautiful Land. Then 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. And 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. And on account of transgression the host will be given over to the horn along with the regular sacrifice; and it will throw truth down to the ground and do its will and succeed. 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 desolation, so as to allow both the holy place and the host to be trampled?” He said to me, “For 2,300 evenings and mornings; then the holy place will be made righteous.”

another small horn appears. Historically, this lines up the Antiochus Epiphanies.

Some of these details may seem confusing, but we will have the benefit of the Angel explaining the details.

It says in verse 10 that he grew up to the host of heaven and caused some of the host and some of the stars to fall to the earth and trampled them. The host and stars represent the people of God, the Jewish people. The angel says as much in verse 24, which we will see momentarily.

He magnifies himself to be equal with the Commander of the host. Some translations say “Prince of the host” and down in verse 25 we find the phrase Prince of princes, which is from the same word as “commander” in vs 11.

I believe this makes the most sense to be him setting himself up as God. The Lord is the Prince of prince, the Commander of the host of His people.

And this small horn thinks he can lift himself up to be God.

Historically, Antiochus did just this. In fact the name he gave himself was Theo Epiphanies, which literally means “God manifest” as if he was God in flesh.

He ends the daily sacrifices in the temple, and does whatever he wants.

He ended sacrifices in the temple, he desecrated the temple by erecting a shrine to Zeus offering a sacrifice of pigs, an animal which was unclean to the Jews.

Notice that verse says these things take place because of transgression.

Whose transgression is this? Is this Antiochus’? The people’s?

If it is the transgression of the People, this event could be viewed as God’s judgment upon a wayward people, which would be in line with God’s promises and why the people went into exile.

Those who argue for this referring to Antiochus’ transgression point out that the same word is used for Antiochus in in the next verse, and that the people are called holy in verse 24.

In either case, there is a promise that Antiochus’ reign of terror will not last.

Vs 13, How Long will this last??

Vs 14. 2300 evenings and mornings, then the holy place will be made righteous.

Most scholars agree on the end point here. In the year 164 B.C., Judas Maccabeus cleansed and rededicated the temple.

What is debated is the starting point. If 2300 evenings and mornings is to be taken as 2300 days, that’s a period of around 6 years 3 months. If you rewind the clock from the rededication of the temple, it is at this point that the High Priest Onias III was murdered and would signal the beginning of the persecution and hostilities against the Jews.

However, sacrifices were still going on after he was murdered.

Some believe that 2300 evenings and mornings refer to the evening and morning sacrifices, and that this actually represents a total of 1150 days, or a period of a little over three years. If you rewind the clock from the rededication to three years, we find the desecration of the Temple by Antiochus, and a little before that the official decree to prevent sacrifices.

In my view, I think this makes the most sense of the timeline.

In either case, the point is that Antiochus’ atrocities will have an end point.

God will not allow it go on forever.

God remains sovereign even when His people suffer

God has not forgotten his promises. God has not abandoned his people. and this was a horrific time for the Jewish people.

We don’t consider the books of 1 and 2 Maccabees to be Scripture or authoritative, but most scholars agree to their historical validity on many of the details surrounding the persecution by Antiochus.

2 Maccabees 5:11–14 NRSV

When news of what had happened reached the king, he took it to mean that Judea was in revolt. So, raging inwardly, he left Egypt and took the city by storm. He commanded his soldiers to cut down relentlessly everyone they met and to kill those who went into their houses. Then there was massacre of young and old, destruction of boys, women, and children, and slaughter of young girls and infants. Within the total of three days eighty thousand were destroyed, forty thousand in hand-to-hand fighting, and as many were sold into slavery as were killed.

And yet. God will limit the time. The suffering will not go on forever.

This is so important for us to remember. We are too are living in an evil age. We see evil going on all around us. We see God’s people suffer around the world at the hands of those who hate him, hate Christ, hate His word!

It is good to be reminded that God will limit their days. The times of suffering will not on forever. We do not have a prescribed calendar of days until Christ calls us home, but we know it is a finite period of time.

Let’s go ahead and finish this chapter and the Angel explains the vision

Daniel 8:15–27 LSB

Now it happened when I, Daniel, had seen the vision, that I sought to understand it; and behold, standing before me was one who had the appearance of a man. 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 what has appeared.” So he came near to where I was standing, and when he came I was terrified and fell on my face; but he said to me, “Son of man, understand that the vision pertains to the time of the end.” 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. Then he said, “Behold, I am going to let you know what will happen at the final period of the indignation, for it pertains to the appointed time of the end. “The ram which you saw with the two horns is the kings of Media and Persia. “Now the shaggy goat is the king of Greece, and the large horn that is between his eyes is the first king. “And the broken horn and the four horns that stood in its place are four kingdoms which will take their stand from his nation, although not with his power. “In the latter period of their reign, When the transgressors have run their course, A king will stand, Insolent and skilled in intrigue. “His power will be mighty, but not by his own power, And he will destroy to an astonishing degree And succeed and do his will; He will destroy mighty men and the holy people. “And through his insight He will cause deceit to succeed by his hand; And he will magnify himself in his heart, And he will destroy many while they are at ease. He will even stand against the Prince of princes, But he will be broken without hands. “And what had appeared about the evenings and mornings Which has been told is true; But as for you, conceal the vision, For it pertains to many days in the future.” Then I, Daniel, was exhausted and sick for days. Then I rose up again and did the king’s work; but I was appalled at what had appeared, and there was none to make me understand it.

The angel comes to interpret the vision, and he says that it pertains to the appointed time of the end. This phrase has tripped a few people up, because they read end and conclude it must be the end times.

However, end here refers to the end of the events that being prophesied of in this chapter. The end of the Kingdom of Greece, the end of the persecution, the end of the prophetic vision.

If you notice, the angel is going to explain whats going on, but his emphasis is not on explaining all the details of the Ram and the Goat. Much more time is spend explaining the little horn. This is the appointed end spoken of by the angel. This is the emphasis.

Vs 23-26 is the meat of the explanation.

A king will stand, insolent and skilled in intrigue. His power will be mighty, but not by his own power. He stands on the shoulders of Alexander the Great. He didn’t get what he has on his own, and yet he talks like he does.

He will destroy. He will cause deceit to succeed.

He will magnify himself. Destroy many. Stand against the Prince of princes, which, again I believe is the Lord most high.

But then notice the end of verse 25.

But he will be broken without hands. Antiochus did not die in battle nor was he assassinated. The story goes that he suffered defeat in one battle and then received word that his forces were routed by the Jews as they retook Jerusalem, and he died as a madman full of grief and remorse in Persia.

God raised him up. God put him back down.

Antiochus had his day. He did whatever he wanted.

But the Lord will have His day. And in that day no one will stand before Him.

This vision was given to Daniel to let him know of things that were to come.

The Jews needed this to remind them to persevere when these things came to pass. They no doubt would have been confused about their plight. God had taken them into exile, but then he brought them back. He restored them to their land. He helped them rebuild the temple and the city walls. Why was all this happening? Had God forgotten?

No. He had not forgotten. He was there all along. He appointed the days. limited their number. and broke the insolent little horn.

As we look back on this prophecy and its fulfillment, we can be reminded of the same truths that the Jews needed to remember.

God remains Sovereign over the kings and kingdoms of men.

God remains sovereign even when His people suffer.

For us, we must persevere. We must remain faithful. Times of trouble are not times to give in to the pressure.

We have hope that there is a time when evil will be judged. God’s Kingdom will stand. God’s justice will ultimately prevail.

We need that message today in a world of evil politicians. We need that message today in a world of suffering.

In the weeks and months ahead we will see the promise of the Anointed one, prophecies of more hardship in the world, and the ultimate victory by our God.

Those who will stand must do so in the strength and power of Christ.

You will not stand if you are not his. You will not endure if your hope and trust are not in Jesus Christ.

Antiochus called himself Theos Epiphanies. God manifest.

God was manifest, but it was not Antiochus.

And Christ shall come again.

And If Christ returns and you do not belong to him, your fate will be the same as Antiochus Epiphanies. The same as Belshazzar. The same as all those insolent rulers who have lifted themselves up against the Most High God. If Antiochus was inconvenient for the Jews, How much more the appearing of our Great God and Savior Jesus Christ.

We read Psalm 110 earlier, and at that time I noted how it is the single most quoted passage from the OT in the NT. Jesus Christ will one day rule over all the nations.

Whether you stand behind him or before him then depends on if you come to him by faith now. His death on the cross is sufficient to save you. But you must recognize your sin and trust in Him and Him alone as the only means of your salvation. Look to Christ.

If that is your hope today, then you can take comfort from the words of Daniel. God will limit the days of evil. All will be made right. Look to Christ.