Thriving Spiritually When the World is at War
Thriving Spiritually in a World of Opposition • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Have you ever felt overwhelmed by the darkness in our world?
War raging in Ukraine.
Unrest spreading through the Middle East.
Violent ideologies rising.
Cultural decay accelerating here at home.
It feels like evil is on the rise everywhere.
And sometimes we ask: Where is God in all of this?
Daniel 8 brings us into a vision God gave to Daniel during the reign of Belshazzar, before the fall of Babylon. God pulls back the curtain and shows Daniel that powerful empires—like Persia and Greece—will rise and crush everything in their path. But behind these earthly empires is something even more disturbing: spiritual rebellion against God Himself.
Yet even here—when the world is at war—God shows that He is still in control.
Main Idea: God Allows Evil Powers to Rise, but His Sovereignty Assures Their End and His People's Hope
This chapter is not just about history. It’s about how to thrive spiritually when it seems like the world is falling apart.
Evil may rise, but it will not reign forever — because God reigns forever.
So how do we remain faithful, hopeful, and spiritually strong when evil seems to be winning?
Daniel’s vision gives us three powerful truths to anchor our souls when the world feels like it’s at war. First, we need to see the reality of evil powers.
The _Reality_ of Evil Powers (vs. 1-8)
In the third year of the reign of King Belshazzar a vision appeared to me, Daniel, after that which appeared to me at the first. And I saw in the vision; and when I saw, I was in Susa the citadel, which is in the province of Elam. And I saw in the vision, and I was at the Ulai canal. I raised my eyes and saw, and behold, a ram standing on the bank of the canal. It had two horns, and both horns were high, but one was higher than the other, and the higher one came up last. I saw the ram charging westward and northward and southward. No beast could stand before him, and there was no one who could rescue from his power. He did as he pleased and became great.
As I was considering, behold, a male goat came from the west across the face of the whole earth, without touching the ground. And the goat had a conspicuous horn between his eyes. He came to the ram with the two horns, which I had seen standing on the bank of the canal, and he ran at him in his powerful wrath. I saw him come close to the ram, and he was enraged against him and struck the ram and broke his two horns. And the ram had no power to stand before him, but he cast him down to the ground and trampled on him. And there was no one who could rescue the ram from his power. Then the goat became exceedingly great, but when he was strong, the great horn was broken, and instead of it there came up four conspicuous horns toward the four winds of heaven.
Well, this is a weird vision!
A ram and male goats. Horns and larger horns.
What would you do if you had this kind of dream/vision?
I might be tempted to chalk it up to eating pizza too late in the evening!
But this vision was a vision from God.
The text gives us some very important information so we can interpret this situation correctly.
Because this vision is filled with imagery that might seem strange to us, I’m going to walk us through it question-by-question—just like you and I would if we were sitting down reading it together for the first time.
And when we answer these questions, we will have a good idea of what is going on.
Who is Belshazzar?
Belshazzar was the son (or co-regent) of Nabonidus, the last king of Babylon. Though not technically the king in title, he functioned as the ruling authority in Babylon when his father was away. Daniel 8 takes place during his reign, which precedes the fall of Babylon to Persia in 539 B.C.
If you remember from chapter 7,
Even though Belshazzar was king, God was already revealing the future fall of his kingdom—because God rules over kings and kingdoms.
When did this vision take place?
Daniel says it was in the third year of King Belshazzar’s reign (around 551 B.C.), two years after the vision of Daniel 7.
Susa (or Shushan) was a major city in the Persian Empire, later serving as a royal city for Persian kings (like in Esther and Nehemiah).
Elam was east of Babylon in what is now southwestern Iran.
Ulai Canal was likely a waterway near or running through Susa.
Even though Daniel was physically in Babylon, God transported him in the vision to a Persian city—foreshadowing the next world power.
What happened in his vision?
He sees a ram with two horns, one higher than the other, and later a male goat with a prominent horn charging from the west and defeating the ram.
What is significant about the larger horn coming up after the smaller one?
This reflects historical reality: Media rose first, but Persia became more powerful and eventually dominated the Medo-Persian alliance.
God gave Daniel this vision before it happened. History follows God’s script.
What is significant about where he charged and how no one could stand against him?
The ram charges west, north, and south—symbolizing the expansion of the Medo-Persian Empire under kings like Cyrus the Great. No one could stop him, indicating God allowed Persia to rise to power temporarily.
What about the male goat?
The goat represents Greece (v. 21), coming from the west and moving quickly without touching the ground—symbolizing the swift conquests of Alexander the Great.
What about the conspicuous horn between his eyes?
This great horn is Alexander the Great, who became the dominant leader of Greece and rapidly defeated the Persian Empire. He led the Greek Empire to conquer much of the known world.
What is the significance of the male goat defeating the other goat and breaking off its two horns?
The goat (Greece) defeats the ram (Medo-Persia), symbolizing the Greek conquest of the Persian Empire under Alexander.
When was it broken?
The horn was broken at the height of its power—Alexander died unexpectedly at age 32 in 323 B.C., just a few years after achieving his greatest victories.
What do the four horns that replace the one represent?
These represent four kingdoms that arose from Alexander’s empire but were not as strong. His generals (the Diadochi) divided the empire:
Cassander (Macedonia)
Lysimachus (Asia Minor)
Seleucus (Syria and Babylon)
Ptolemy (Egypt)
Human empires rise and fall, but God's kingdom endures forever. Earthly power is fleeting.
These were real, historical kingdoms, but their rise was not random. Verse 4 says, “no beast could stand before him,” yet verse 7 shows that even the most powerful (Alexander) eventually fell.
Donald Trump - The most powerful man on the planet.
He is 78 and in remarkable health.
Some of you here this morning can’t wait for the next 3.5 years to be over.
Others of you here hope he figures out a way to run for president again.
So much angst and vitriol goes into how people feel about our current president.
My point is not to get into a political discussion about Donald Trump.
Even though he is in remarkable health and accomplishing many things quickly, his day will come to an end.
God is the ultimate Sovereign—the One who controls all things.
Kingdoms rise and fall at His command.
He raises up Kings and Leaders of Nations for His good purposes and because He is Good and wise and holy, we can trust him.
Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.
The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord; he turns it wherever he will.
Why do you think God wrote this chapter in the book of Daniel?
To let us know that Evil Kingdoms will rise and fall.
To let us know that God is in control over all Kingdoms.
To give us HOPE that our salvation is not in earthly kingdoms. Our Salvation is in our only HOPE, the AUTHOR of SALVATION! God HIMSELF!
I see so many people online venting, complaining, reacting, cajoling, even shaming people for the current state of affairs.
Did you know I read a post on Facebook the other day and their person that posted their argument actually changed my mind about their position? Just kidding!
Facebook posts rarely change minds, but they do create walls if we are not careful
Folks - Don’t allow your anxiety regarding current events to turn into bitterness and rage.
Do you know what it means if you are turning bitter?
You are not trusting God.
Daniel served in a foreign government for approximately 70 years, spanning multiple kings and two major empires—Babylon and Persia.
Yet he didn’t capitulate and become like them.
And…
He didn’t become bitter and angry about them.
Daniel didn’t just survive in a pagan culture—he thrived spiritually. And by God’s grace, so can we.
He recognized that God had placed him there as His representative. And his responsibility was to faithfully serve God no matter what.
Evil kingdoms are a reality for us today because we live in a sin cursed world.
But evil kingdoms are not eternal kingdoms. God’s Kingdom is.
Review: Recap the Point
We’ve just seen that powerful empires rise, and often it looks like evil is winning. But these aren’t just political powers—there’s something deeper happening.
Evil isn’t just operating on a battlefield—it’s also waging war in the spiritual realm.
That brings us to the second truth Daniel’s vision reveals: The Depth of Spiritual Opposition.
2. The Depth of Spiritual _Opposition_ (vs. 9-12)
Out of one of them came a little horn, which grew exceedingly great toward the south, toward the east, and toward the glorious land. It grew great, even to the host of heaven. And some of the host and some of the stars it threw down to the ground and trampled on them. It became great, even as great as the Prince of the host. And the regular burnt offering was taken away from him, and the place of his sanctuary was overthrown. And a host will be given over to it together with the regular burnt offering because of transgression, and it will throw truth to the ground, and it will act and prosper.
Okay, I have more questions that must be answered for clarity.
What or who is the “little horn?”
The MacArthur Study Bible Chapter 8
The small horn is
Where is the “glorious land?”
This refers to Israel, particularly Jerusalem (cf. Daniel 11:16, 41).
It’s called "glorious" (literally the beautiful land) because it is the land of promise, covenant, and the temple.
Remember this, even in God’s chosen land, evil can invade—but not forever.
Who are the host of heaven?
Symbolic of the people of God (Israel)—especially faithful ones who were trampled during persecution (cf. Daniel 8:24).
5 And he brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.”
41 At the end of 430 years, on that very day, all the hosts of the Lord went out from the land of Egypt.
Who are the stars?
Again, the Jewish people.
10 The Lord your God has multiplied you, and behold, you are today as numerous as the stars of heaven.
Who is the Prince of the host?
In Daniel 8:11, the phrase “prince of the host” likely refers either to God Himself or to the Angel of Yahweh, who is portrayed in the Old Testament as a visible manifestation of Yahweh (see Joshua 5:14 for a similar title). Although the specific divine name Yahweh isn’t used in the Hebrew text here (see the note on Daniel 9:2), the figure’s close association with both the daily offerings and the sanctuary strongly points to a divine identity. Some scholars suggest that this could be a reference to the pre-incarnate Christ, often understood as the Angel of the Lord. - Adapted from: Barry, John D., et al., Faithlife Study Bible (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012, 2016).
What is the regular burnt offering that was taken away?
The burnt offering mentioned here is tied to the temple, which was understood to house God’s Name—and in Exodus 23:20–23, we’re told that God’s Name is in the Angel of Yahweh.
What sanctuary was overthrown?
The power of this “little horn,” also known as Antiochus Epiphanes, was substantial.
Just listen to what he did…
Historical records suggest that Antiochus IV Epiphanes killed tens of thousands of Jews during his brutal persecution, particularly during and after his desecration of the temple in 168 B.C.
1 Maccabees (an apocryphal but historically useful source)
1 Maccabees 1:29–32 reports that Antiochus sent an army to Jerusalem, which slaughtered many:
“They attacked the city suddenly on the sabbath, slaughtering many people and taking great spoils.”
1 Maccabees 1:60–64 describes how he executed women and children who circumcised their sons, and burned Torah scrolls.
Josephus – Antiquities of the Jews 12.5.4
Josephus says about 40,000 Jews were slain, and roughly the same number sold into slavery, when Antiochus entered Jerusalem.
"Forty thousand of the inhabitants were slain, and about the same number were sold into slavery." (Antiquities 12.246)
And here is the kicker, Antiochus Epiphanes is a precursor to an even more evil little horn, the AntiChrist!
I’d like to read this account from the NLT. It makes this whole confusing section a little more understandable.
8 The goat became very powerful. But at the height of his power, his large horn was broken off. In the large horn’s place grew four prominent horns pointing in the four directions of the earth. 9 Then from one of the prominent horns came a small horn whose power grew very great. It extended toward the south and the east and toward the glorious land of Israel. 10 Its power reached to the heavens, where it attacked the heavenly army, throwing some of the heavenly beings and some of the stars to the ground and trampling them. 11 It even challenged the Commander of heaven’s army by canceling the daily sacrifices offered to him and by destroying his Temple. 12 The army of heaven was restrained from responding to this rebellion. So the daily sacrifice was halted, and truth was overthrown. The horn succeeded in everything it did.
I’m going to tell you something that perhaps you already know? If not, please understand this, Evil is not a surface problem. It is deep and rooted into the very fibre of our existence.
We are surrounded and soaked in sin—both internally and externally—and opposition to God's plan is fierce and relentless.
We should never take for granted the evil in this world, or the evil one.
You do know the evil one, Satan, is alive and well. He is constantly at work attempting to thwart the plans of God. He desires to change God’s design and manipulate and confuse God’s creation. Whatever has God’s mark, Satan hates and seeks to destroy.
His opposition is real. His desire is for control and the obliteration of all that pleases God - including you!
Antiochus was just a taste of the horror to come.
But in the midst of that darkness, Daniel’s vision reminds us: evil may rise, but it will not reign forever.
When Satan unleashes his Anti-Christ, all Hell will break loose on this planet in a way humanity has NEVER experienced.
That is what Daniel 9 is all about.
But let me remind you of something very important…
God Allows Evil Powers to Rise, but His Sovereignty Assures Their End and His People's Hope
“Enemy-occupied territory—that is what this world is. Christianity is the story of how the rightful king has landed… and is calling us all to take part in a great campaign of sabotage.”
—C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity, HarperOne, 1952.
"A great campaign of sabotage" – Lewis describes the Christian life as a form of resistance against the rule of darkness. Every act of faith, love, truth-telling, and gospel proclamation is a way of pushing back against the enemy’s kingdom.
Are you intimidated by the evil that is happening around us? Don’t be. Yes, it is oppressive at time, but WE WIN because HE WON!
Just as Antiochus Epiphanes desecrated the temple and waged war against God's people, today spiritual darkness still opposes God’s truth.
But we are not passive victims—we are part of Christ’s advancing Kingdom.
When you worship, evangelize, disciple, and stand firm, you’re engaging in the very campaign Lewis describes—you’re pushing back enemy lines.
So, instead of feeling intimidated, do these three actions…
Be bold with God’s Word.
Be persistent in sharing God’s Word.
Be faithful in Seeking God’s face.
Review:
Spiritual opposition is real. The enemy attacks truth, desecrates what is holy, and seeks to crush the people of God.
But here's the good news: God has already drawn the finish line.
The vision doesn’t end in despair—it ends with assurance.
So let’s look now at the final truth: The Assurance of God’s Sovereignty.
3. The _Assurance_ of God’s Sovereignty (vs. 13-14)
Then I heard a holy one speaking, and another holy one said to the one who spoke, “For how long is the vision concerning the regular burnt offering, the transgression that makes desolate, and the giving over of the sanctuary and host to be trampled underfoot?” 14 And he said to me, “For 2,300 evenings and mornings. Then the sanctuary shall be restored to its rightful state.”
More questions! More answers!
Who are the holy ones?
Angels are who Daniel is talking about.
By the way, isn’t is cool to think about there is an entire spiritual realm happening right in front of us - a realm we just cannot see.
Just like Satan, Angels are very much real and they were created to serve and minister to us!
What are they talking about?
One angel wants to know how long the events of this vision will last?
How long will the rebellion that causes the desecration of the Temple to stop?
What was the answer and what does it mean?
Daniel 8:14 says the sanctuary would be restored after “2,300 evenings and mornings.” Now, that might sound confusing at first—does it mean 1,150 days with morning and evening sacrifices? Not likely.
The best understanding—supported by Hebrew grammar and history—is that it refers to 2,300 actual days. In Hebrew, there’s no “and” between “evenings” and “mornings,” which tells us this is probably a way of saying one full day per phrase—just like how we say “day and night” to mean 24 hours.
That’s about six years and four months—and here’s the amazing part: history confirms it.
From the time Antiochus Epiphanes disrupted temple worship around September 171 B.C., to the time Judas Maccabeus cleansed and rededicated the temple in December 165 or 164 B.C., was almost exactly 2,300 days.
God gave Daniel a vision—and centuries later, it came to pass down to the day.
And that’s why, still today, Jewish people celebrate Hanukkah—a holiday that exists because God kept His Word, purified His temple, and proved again that evil has a limit, but God’s promises have no expiration date. Adapted from: MacArthur, John, Jr., ed. The MacArthur Study Bible. Electronic ed. (Nashville, TN: Word Publishing, 1997).
Do you see the last part of verse 14?
“Then the sanctuary shall be restored to its rightful state.”
14 The other replied, “It will take 2,300 evenings and mornings; then the Temple will be made right again.”
The temple will be made right again!
Have you ever looked around and wondered if darkness is winning?
It feels like everywhere we turn, around the world and even right here at home, the truth is under attack, wrong is celebrated, and faithfulness is costly. If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by that, you’re not alone. Daniel felt it too.
In Daniel 8, God gives Daniel a vision showing powerful evil forces rising up. World empires like Medo-Persia and Greece would dominate the stage, and vicious rulers would persecute God's people. Daniel even sees the holy temple defiled and daily worship shut down. From a human perspective, it looks like evil is not just winning—it’s crushing everything good.
But then, God says something remarkable: the oppression would last 2,300 days—and no longer.
God put evil on a leash.
God set a countdown timer.
And when the clock hit zero, God would cleanse His sanctuary, deliver His people, and bring restoration.
Here’s the truth we need to remember today:
When evil seems overwhelming, God is still in control—and evil has an expiration date.
The darkness around us—and sometimes even the darkness we wrestle with inside—can feel intense. But it's only temporary. Evil’s power is real, but it is not permanent. Our sovereign God has already decreed its end.
Today, you may feel weary from the battles you’re facing—spiritual, cultural, and personal battles.
Take heart: the clock is ticking, and victory is sure.
Stay faithful.
Stay hopeful.
Stay anchored in Christ.
The One who rules over kings and kingdoms is the same One who holds you securely in His hand.
“What a Day That Will Be” by Jim Hill (1950’s)
What a day that will be
When my Jesus I shall see
And I look upon his face
The one who saved me by his grace
When he takes me by the hand
And leads me through the Promised Land
What a day, glorious day that will be
There'll be no sorrows there
No more burdens to bear
No more sickness and no more pain
No more parting over there
But forever I will be
With the one who died for me
What a day, glorious day that will be
Ladies and Gentlemen, our God is the Sovereign King of the UNIVERSE!
He is the CREATOR and SUSTAINER of ALL that is.
There is nothing that is not His. NOTHING!
If the Sovereign King, Creator, and Sustainer of all things has evil on a leash—why are you so anxious?
For the Christian here this morning, your biggest problem was solved at the cross.
Your biggest problem was God WRATH against you. Jesus took the wrath you deserved. And now you are free!
(Talk with the unbelievers in the audience about their condition)
Today could be the day you move from fear to forgiveness, from anxiety to adoption. Come to Christ. Trust Him today.
If your biggest problem is solved and the Sovereign King of all creation is your God and friend - why do you live in worry and anxiety?
Cast ALL your cares on HIM for HE cares for you!
Review:
Daniel’s vision reminds us:
Evil may rise, but it cannot reign.
And if that's true, it changes how we live today.
Let’s end by thinking about how we respond to this truth.
Conclusion
Brothers and sisters, Daniel 8 reminds us:
Evil rises—but it never reigns forever.
When wickedness seems overwhelming...
When truth is trampled...
When hope feels distant...
God is still sovereign.
So here’s the call:
Stand firm when evil advances.
Hold fast when truth is attacked.
Live boldly, because our King reigns.
If God counted every day of Antiochus' persecution—2,300 days, no more, no less—
then surely He can be trusted with every day of your life too.
As Charles Spurgeon once said:
"The sovereignty of God is the pillow upon which the child of God rests his head at night, giving perfect peace." - Spurgeon
When you feel overwhelmed, lay your head on that pillow.
God rules. Evil is on a leash. Victory is certain.
Picture it:
A day is coming when every evil empire will crumble.
When every enemy of truth will fall silent.
When every wound will be healed.
When every tear will be wiped away.
And the true King—our Lord Jesus Christ—will reign forever.
Until that day, thrive spiritually—because evil may have a season, but Christ wears the crown forever
