Daniel 08 01-27

Daniel 8:1-27

From chapter 8 to the end of the Book of Daniel, the text is written in Hebrew, for the major emphasis of these chapters is God's plan for the nation of Israel in the end times.

From 2:4-7:28, the book is written in Aramaic because the emphasis in those chapters is on the Gentile kingdoms in history and prophecy.
It was the nation of Israel that God chose to be the vehicle of His revelation and redemption in the world.

Through the Jewish people came the knowledge of the one true and living God, the written Scriptures and, most important of all, the Savior, Jesus Christ.

This vision is going to be about four kings that play an important role in the life of the nation Israel.

Daniel's Vision

1 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. 2 And I saw in the vision; and when I saw, I was in Susa the capital, which is in the province of Elam. And I saw in the vision, and I was at the Ulai canal.

Susa was the capital of the Medo-Persian kingdom. So this gives us the clue that this vision is starts in the second kingdom out of the four we had studied in Daniel.

3 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. 4 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.

This is the Persia Kingdom led by King Cyrus.

Cyrus and his armies did indeed "push westward and northward and southward" and defeat their enemies, taking Libya, Egypt, all of Asia Minor and moving as far as India, creating the largest empire ever in the ancient east until the time of Alexander the Great.
Once his conquests were consolidated, he attacked Babylon and took it in 539.
Cyrus was kind to those he took captive and permitted the Jews to return to their land to rebuild the temple and restore the nation (Isa. 44:28; Ezra 1:1-3; 6:2-5).

He also allowed them to take with them the sacred vessels that Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple (Ezra 1:5-11).

5 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. 6 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. 7 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. 8 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.

In Nebuchadnezzar's image, Greece was depicted as the thigh of brass (2:32, 39), and in Daniel's vision described in chapter 7, Greece was a swift leopard with four heads.

Now Daniel sees Greece as an angry goat who runs so swiftly his feet don't even touch the ground!
The large protruding horn represents Alexander the Great who led the armies of Greece from victory to victory and extended his empire even beyond what Cyrus had done with the Persian army.
But the horn was broken, for Alexander died in Babylon in June 323, at the age of thirty-three, and his vast kingdom was divided among four of his leaders, symbolized by the four horns that grew up (7:4-7; 11:4).

9 Out of one of them came a little horn, which grew exceedingly great toward the south, toward the east, and toward the glorious land.

As we have already seen, after the death of Alexander the Great (the "notable horn," v. 5), his empire was divided into four parts with four of his officers taking control (v. 8).

Out of one of those horns a "little horn" appears who becomes a great leader, and this is Antiochus Epiphanes, the ruler of Syria from 175 to 163 B.C. and known as one of the cruelest tyrants in history.
Antiochus gave himself the name "Epiphanes," which means "illustrious, manifestation," for he claimed to be a revelation of the gods.

He even had the word theos (god) put on the coins minted with his features on it, and his features on the coins came to look more and more like the Greek god Zeus.

The glorious land is the land of Israel. Remember Daniel a Jew is writing.

10 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.

The term “host” (ṣābā’) means “army” but frequently is used figuratively to designate the angelic servants of God (1 Kgs 22:19) and the celestial bodies (Deut 4:19).

While the term here refers directly to the stars, it is as they symbolize the saints (interpreted in Daniel 8:24).
This king (the little horn) will become so arrogant that he is willing to assert himself against the saints of God and even against God himself.
In 168 B.C. Antiochus sent an army of 20,000 men to level Jerusalem.

They entered the city on the Sabbath, murdered most of the men, and took the women and children as slaves.
The remaining men fled to the army of the Jewish leader Judas Maccabeus.

11 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.

Da 8:11 (NASB) 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 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.

But Antiochus wasn't satisfied, so he issued an edict that there would be one religion in his realm and it wouldn't be the Jewish religion.

He prohibited the Jews from honoring the Sabbath, practicing circumcision, and obeying the levitical dietary laws, and he climaxed his campaign on December 14, 168, by replacing the Jewish altar with an altar to Zeus and sacrificing a pig on it!
Any Jew found possessing a copy of the Law of Moses was slain.
Jerusalem was eventually delivered by the courageous exploits of Judas Maccabeus and his followers, and on December 14, 165 B.C., the temple was purified, the altar of burnt offering restored, and Jewish worship once again restored.
It is this event that the Jewish people celebrate as "The Feast of Lights" or Hanukkah (see John 10:22).
Antiochus went mad while in Persia, where he died in 163.

When Antiochus stopped the daily sacrifices in the temple and substituted pagan worship, this was called "the abomination that makes desolate" ("the transgression of desolation," Dan. 8:13).

This concept is found in 9:27; 11:31; and 12:11, and is used by Jesus in Matthew 24:15 and Mark 13:14.
What Antiochus did was a foreshadowing of what the Antichrist will do when he puts his image in the temple and commands the world to worship him (2 Thes. 2; Rev. 13).
Daniel 8:13 and 11:31 refer to Antiochus, and the other references to Antichrist, of whom Antiochus is a picture.

13 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."

The two angels (8:13-14; "saints") spoke together about this matter and from their conversation, Daniel learned the prophetic timetable.

Between the desecration of the temple and its cleansing and restoration 2,300 evenings & mornings would pass.
The Hebrew text reads "2,300 evenings and mornings," because burnt offerings were sacrificed at the temple each morning and each evening of every day.
But does this mean 2,300 days or 1,150 days, 2,300 divided by two? And what date or event signals the beginning of the countdown?
It is either just over six years or slightly over three years.
The six-year advocates begin with 171 B.C, when Antiochus deposed the true high priest.

Subtract six years and this takes you to 165 when Judas Maccabeus defeated the enemy and reconsecrated the temple.

However, the three-year advocates begin with the establishment of the pagan altar in the temple on 25 Kislev, 168 B.C., and this takes us to 165.
Either approach meets the requirements of the prophecy.

But Antiochus wasn't satisfied, so he issued an edict that there would be one religion in his realm and it wouldn't be the Jewish religion.

He prohibited the Jews from honoring the Sabbath, practicing circumcision, and obeying the levitical dietary laws, and he climaxed his campaign on December 14, 168, by replacing the Jewish altar with an altar to Zeus and sacrificing a pig on it!
Any Jew found possessing a copy of the Law of Moses was slain.
Jerusalem was eventually delivered by the courageous exploits of Judas Maccabeus and his followers, and on December 14, 165 B.C., the temple was purified, the altar of burnt offering restored, and Jewish worship once again restored.
It is this event that the Jewish people celebrate as "The Feast of Lights" or Hanukkah (see John 10:22).
Antiochus went mad while in Persia, where he died in 163.

When Antiochus stopped the daily sacrifices in the temple and substituted pagan worship, this was called "the abomination that makes desolate" ("the transgression of desolation," Dan. 8:13).

This concept is found in 9:27; 11:31; and 12:11, and is used by Jesus in Matthew 24:15 and Mark 13:14.
What Antiochus did was a foreshadowing of what the Antichrist will do when he puts his image in the temple and commands the world to worship him (2 Thes. 2; Rev. 13).
Daniel 8:13 and 11:31 refer to Antiochus, and the other references to Antichrist, of whom Antiochus is a picture.

13 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."

The two angels (8:13-14; "saints") spoke together about this matter and from their conversation, Daniel learned the prophetic timetable.

Between the desecration of the temple and its cleansing and restoration 2,300 evenings & mornings would pass.
The Hebrew text reads "2,300 evenings and mornings," because burnt offerings were sacrificed at the temple each morning and each evening of every day.
But does this mean 2,300 days or 1,150 days, 2,300 divided by two? And what date or event signals the beginning of the countdown?
It is either just over six years or slightly over three years.
The six-year advocates begin with 171 B.C, when Antiochus deposed the true high priest.

Subtract six years and this takes you to 165 when Judas Maccabeus defeated the enemy and reconsecrated the temple.

However, the three-year advocates begin with the establishment of the pagan altar in the temple on 25 Kislev, 168 B.C., and this takes us to 165.
Either approach meets the requirements of the prophecy.

15 When I, Daniel, had seen the vision, I sought to understand it. And behold, there stood before me one having the appearance of a man.
16 And I heard a man's voice between the banks of the Ulai, and it called, "Gabriel, make this man understand the vision."
17 So he came near where I stood. And when he came, I was frightened and fell on my face. But he said to me, "Understand, O son of man, that the vision is for the time of the end."

18 And when he had spoken to me, I fell into a deep sleep with my face to the ground. But he touched me and made me stand up.
19 He said, "Behold, I will make known to you what shall be at the latter end of the indignation, for it refers to the appointed time of the end.

Once again Daniel is explained the vision by an angel (Gabriel). God desires for us to know the truth about His redemptive plan.

1. King Cyrus
20 As for the ram that you saw with the two horns, these are the kings of Media and Persia.

This is the man who conquered Babylon, king Cyrus.

Centuries before Cyrus appeared on the scene, the Prophet Isaiah called him by name and even called him God's "shepherd" (Isa. 41:2, 25; 44:28-45:4).
It was Cyrus whom God chose to defeat the Babylonians and permit the Jews to return to their land.
The two horns symbolize the Medes and Persians, the Persians being the higher (stronger) of the two.
God's people in Babylon must at times thought God had forgot them or even abandoned them.

After all they had been captives for years & years. (70 years in total.)
Plus it was their many & prolonged sins that had led to them being taken captive to Babylon in the first place.

But what God was saying through His word is that He was still there for His people.

He would forgive them of their sins.
He would deliver them from their captivity.
And He would restore them into the land of blessing & promise.
God was just wanting His people to repent of their sins & seek Him once again.
This was all grace on God's part.

God is the same with us today.
We might have sinned or been living in sin. Our lives & hearts feel like God is no where to be found.
But the truth is that God is faithful to us even when we are not faithful to Him.

He is always there to forgive our sins.
He desires to deliver us from the captivity of sin & sorrow we maybe facing.
He wants to return us to a life of blessing.
He desires to give us His grace.
All we need to do is repent of our sins & seek His face.

Cyrus was God's answer to the prayers of His people in Babylon.

The imagery used in connection with Cyrus is fascinating. He is called "the righteous man" (Isa. 41:2), or as the NIV puts it, "calling him in righteousness."

This means that he was called to fulfill God's righteous purposes in freeing Israel from their Babylonian yoke and allowing them to return to their land.
Our sovereign Lord can use even a pagan king to accomplish His purposes!
The Prophet Isaiah also called Cyrus the Lord's anointed (45:1) before whom He would go and open the way.

Even the great gates of Babylon couldn't stand before his victorious march!

The point is this, God takes care of His people & judges those that do them harm.
Woe to those that attack & do harm to God's children, including us.

This does that mean that we will not face any harm but that God will judge those that harm His beloved children.

It is often through the hardships of life that we learn what we need to no.

Israel learned to hate idolity & repented of their sins in Babylon.
But this does not justify the evil of sinful man in attacking God's children.

2. Alexander the Great

21 And the goat is the king of Greece. And the great horn between his eyes is the first king.

This refers to Alexander the Great.

The remarkable conquests of Alexander were more than battle trophies, for they accomplished God's purposes in the world and helped to prepare the world for the coming of Christ and the spread of the Gospel.
By extending Greek culture and language, he helped to bring peoples together; and eventually the common (koine) Greek became the language of the New Testament.
Even though his empire divided four ways after his death, Alexander brought nations together so they could interact with each other.
What Alexander and the Greeks began, the Romans completed, helping to prepare the ancient world for the coming of Christ.

They are represented by the legs of iron (2:33, 40) and the "dreadful beast" (7:7).

Roman roads and bridges enabled people to travel and share their ideas.
All of this contributed to the taking of the Christian message throughout the known world.
The point is that God is alway in the world working out His plan of salvation.

Salvation in individual's lives.
Salvation for the whole world.
These prophecies show us that God knows exactly what is going on in the world & is working it out for His own holy purposes.

Again to the Jews having to endure Babylon, than Persia, than Greece, & than Rome this was a message that brought hope & encouragement.

3. Antiochus Epiphanes

22 As for the horn that was broken, in place of which four others arose, four kingdoms shall arise from his nation, but not with his power.

Since Alexander had no heirs to succeed him, the kingdom was divided several years later among his four generals, represented here by the four horns (cf. v. 8; cf. 11:4).

But the divided kingdom of Greece never had the same power Greece had enjoyed under Alexander.

Egypt and parts of Asia Minor.
Macedonia and Greece.
Thrace and parts of Asia Minor (western Bithynia, Phrygia, Mycia, and Lydia).
Seleucus was given the remainder of Alexander’s empire which included Syria, Israel, and Mesopotamia.

This is all history now.

23 And at the latter end of their kingdom, when the transgressors have reached their limit, a king of bold face, one who understands riddles, shall arise. 24 His power shall be great— but not by his own power; and he shall cause fearful destruction and shall succeed in what he does, and destroy mighty men and the people who are the saints. 25 By his cunning he shall make deceit prosper under his hand, and in his own mind he shall become great. Without warning he shall destroy many. And he shall even rise up against the Prince of princes, and he shall be broken—but by no human hand.

Years later from among one of the four horns (kings) there would arise, Gabriel said, a bold face and cunning king.

A powerful ruler, he would devastate property and destroy people in order to expand his kingdom.
The nation Israel would be a special target of his oppression.
In subjugating Israel, many would lose their lives just when they thought they were safe.
His antagonism against Israel would also be against her God, the Prince of princes.
Yet this mighty conqueror himself would be destroyed by supernatural power.
His rise was not his own doing (8:24) and his downfall was not by human means (he died insane in Persia in 163 b.c.).
This prophecy was fulfilled in the person of Antiochus Epiphanes.

4. The Antichrist

There is no question among Bible teachers that Antiochus is in view in this prophecy.

What was prophesied was fulfilled literally through him.
However, the prophecy looks beyond Antiochus to a future person (the Antichrist) of whom Antiochus is only a foreshadowing.
This coming one is said to “stand against the Prince of princes” (v. 25).

This can be none other than the Lord Jesus Christ.
Thus the prophecy must go beyond Antiochus and look forward to the coming of one whose ministry will parallel that of Antiochus.

From Antiochus certain facts can be learned about the forthcoming desecrator:

(1) He will achieve great power by subduing others (v. 24).
(2) He will rise to power by promising false security (v. 25).
(3) He will be intelligent and persuasive (v. 23).
(4) He will be controlled by another (v. 24), that is, Satan.
(5) He will be an adversary of Israel and subjugate Israel to his authority (vv. 24-25).
(6) He will rise up in opposition to the Prince of princes, the Lord Jesus Christ (v. 25).
(7) His rule will be terminated by divine judgment (v. 25).

So it may be concluded that there is a dual reference in this striking prophecy.
It reveals Israel’s history under the Seleucids and particularly under Antiochus during the time of Greek domination, but it also looks forward to Israel’s experiences under Antichrist, whom Antiochus foreshadows.
It important to note that God's people always end up victorious.

We might feel defeated at times but in the end victory is ours.
Both the nation of Israel & the Christian Church have victory in Jesus.

26 The vision of the evenings and the mornings that has been told is true, but seal up the vision, for it refers to many days from now."

Daniel was told to seal up the vision in the sense of concluding it, not in the sense of keeping it secret, because it needed to be preserved for the future.

20 As for the ram that you saw with the two horns, these are the kings of Media and Persia.

This is the man who conquered Babylon, king Cyrus.

Centuries before Cyrus appeared on the scene, the Prophet Isaiah called him by name and even called him God's "shepherd" (Isa. 41:2, 25; 44:28-45:4).
It was Cyrus whom God chose to defeat the Babylonians and permit the Jews to return to their land.
The two horns symbolize the Medes and Persians, the Persians being the higher (stronger) of the two.
God's people in Babylon must at times thought God had forgot them or even abandoned them.

After all they had been captives for years & years. (70 years in total.)
Plus it was their many & prolonged sins that had led to them being taken captive to Babylon in the first place.

But what God was saying through His word is that He was still there for His people.

He would forgive them of their sins.
He would deliver them from their captivity.
And He would restore them into the land of blessing & promise.
God was just wanting His people to repent of their sins & seek Him once again.
This was all grace on God's part.

God is the same with us today.
We might have sinned or been living in sin. Our lives & hearts feel like God is no where to be found.
But the truth is that God is faithful to us even when we are not faithful to Him.

He is always there to forgive our sins.
He desires to deliver us from the captivity of sin & sorrow we maybe facing.
He wants to return us to a life of blessing.
He desires to give us His grace.
All we need to do is repent of our sins & seek His face.

Cyrus was God's answer to the prayers of His people in Babylon.

The imagery used in connection with Cyrus is fascinating. He is called "the righteous man" (Isa. 41:2), or as the NIV puts it, "calling him in righteousness."

This means that he was called to fulfill God's righteous purposes in freeing Israel from their Babylonian yoke and allowing them to return to their land.
Our sovereign Lord can use even a pagan king to accomplish His purposes!
The Prophet Isaiah also called Cyrus the Lord's anointed (45:1) before whom He would go and open the way.

Even the great gates of Babylon couldn't stand before his victorious march!

The point is this, God takes care of His people & judges those that do them harm.
Woe to those that attack & do harm to God's children, including us.

This does that mean that we will not face any harm but that God will judge those that harm His beloved children.

It is often through the hardships of life that we learn what we need to no.

Israel learned to hate idolity & repented of their sins in Babylon.
But this does not justify the evil of sinful man in attacking God's children.

2. Alexander the Great

21 And the goat is the king of Greece. And the great horn between his eyes is the first king.

This refers to Alexander the Great.

The remarkable conquests of Alexander were more than battle trophies, for they accomplished God's purposes in the world and helped to prepare the world for the coming of Christ and the spread of the Gospel.
By extending Greek culture and language, he helped to bring peoples together; and eventually the common (koine) Greek became the language of the New Testament.
Even though his empire divided four ways after his death, Alexander brought nations together so they could interact with each other.
What Alexander and the Greeks began, the Romans completed, helping to prepare the ancient world for the coming of Christ.

They are represented by the legs of iron (2:33, 40) and the "dreadful beast" (7:7).

Roman roads and bridges enabled people to travel and share their ideas.
All of this contributed to the taking of the Christian message throughout the known world.
The point is that God is alway in the world working out His plan of salvation.

Salvation in individual's lives.
Salvation for the whole world.
These prophecies show us that God knows exactly what is going on in the world & is working it out for His own holy purposes.

Again to the Jews having to endure Babylon, than Persia, than Greece, & than Rome this was a message that brought hope & encouragement.

3. Antiochus Epiphanes

22 As for the horn that was broken, in place of which four others arose, four kingdoms shall arise from his nation, but not with his power.

Since Alexander had no heirs to succeed him, the kingdom was divided several years later among his four generals, represented here by the four horns (cf. v. 8; cf. 11:4).

But the divided kingdom of Greece never had the same power Greece had enjoyed under Alexander.

Egypt and parts of Asia Minor.
Macedonia and Greece.
Thrace and parts of Asia Minor (western Bithynia, Phrygia, Mycia, and Lydia).
Seleucus was given the remainder of Alexander’s empire which included Syria, Israel, and Mesopotamia.

This is all history now.

23 And at the latter end of their kingdom, when the transgressors have reached their limit, a king of bold face, one who understands riddles, shall arise. 24 His power shall be great— but not by his own power; and he shall cause fearful destruction and shall succeed in what he does, and destroy mighty men and the people who are the saints. 25 By his cunning he shall make deceit prosper under his hand, and in his own mind he shall become great. Without warning he shall destroy many. And he shall even rise up against the Prince of princes, and he shall be broken—but by no human hand.

Years later from among one of the four horns (kings) there would arise, Gabriel said, a bold face and cunning king.

A powerful ruler, he would devastate property and destroy people in order to expand his kingdom.
The nation Israel would be a special target of his oppression.
In subjugating Israel, many would lose their lives just when they thought they were safe.
His antagonism against Israel would also be against her God, the Prince of princes.
Yet this mighty conqueror himself would be destroyed by supernatural power.
His rise was not his own doing (8:24) and his downfall was not by human means (he died insane in Persia in 163 b.c.).
This prophecy was fulfilled in the person of Antiochus Epiphanes.

4. The Antichrist

There is no question among Bible teachers that Antiochus is in view in this prophecy.

What was prophesied was fulfilled literally through him.
However, the prophecy looks beyond Antiochus to a future person (the Antichrist) of whom Antiochus is only a foreshadowing.
This coming one is said to “stand against the Prince of princes” (v. 25).

This can be none other than the Lord Jesus Christ.
Thus the prophecy must go beyond Antiochus and look forward to the coming of one whose ministry will parallel that of Antiochus.

From Antiochus certain facts can be learned about the forthcoming desecrator:

(1) He will achieve great power by subduing others (v. 24).
(2) He will rise to power by promising false security (v. 25).
(3) He will be intelligent and persuasive (v. 23).
(4) He will be controlled by another (v. 24), that is, Satan.
(5) He will be an adversary of Israel and subjugate Israel to his authority (vv. 24-25).
(6) He will rise up in opposition to the Prince of princes, the Lord Jesus Christ (v. 25).
(7) His rule will be terminated by divine judgment (v. 25).

So it may be concluded that there is a dual reference in this striking prophecy.
It reveals Israel’s history under the Seleucids and particularly under Antiochus during the time of Greek domination, but it also looks forward to Israel’s experiences under Antichrist, whom Antiochus foreshadows.
It important to note that God's people always end up victorious.

We might feel defeated at times but in the end victory is ours.
Both the nation of Israel & the Christian Church have victory in Jesus.

26 The vision of the evenings and the mornings that has been told is true, but seal up the vision, for it refers to many days from now."

Daniel was told to seal up the vision in the sense of concluding it, not in the sense of keeping it secret, because it needed to be preserved for the future.

27 And I, Daniel, was overcome and lay sick for some days. Then I rose and went about the king's business, but I was appalled by the vision and did not understand it.

As a result of this experience of receiving the vision and communing with angels, Daniel became ill.

One cause of his physical and emotional collapse was his inability to understand where this vision of the "king of fierce countenance," prefigured by "the little horn," fit into the prophetic scheme for Israel.
He knew that the "little horn" would appear in the last days, but what would occur between his day and that day?

He would learn from Jeremiah's prophecy that his people would be released from bondage and allowed to return to their land and rebuild their temple, but Daniel knew nothing about God's "mystery" concerning the church (EPH. 3:1-13) or the "mystery" concerning the partial blinding and hardening of Israel (Rom. 11:25-36).
And who was the "king of fierce countenance" and why would he attack the Jewish people?

Daniel felt the burden of the suffering his people would experience and he knew the awful consequences of truth being cast to the ground (Dan. 8:12).
Prophecy should be studied to impact us. End times prophecy gives us hope for the future but it should also give us a burden for the lost people of this world.