Daniel 8: Animal Farm and How to Embrace God's Timing
Daniel: The End Times, The Kingdom of God, and Politics • Sermon • Submitted
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· 8 viewsDaniel and his people were in captivity. They wanted an answer from God. Main Point: the nations, though beastly are just domesticated animals in God’s eyes.
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As a kid, I was always the one in our family that wanted to be on time. I was the clock of the family. To me—to be early, was to be on time, and if you were on time, you were late. and so I always pushing my family— “Come on. Let’s go! Get ready faster! We’re gonna be late!” (which is the worst thing!)
And now as an adult, I find myself doing that same thing with my own kids as they are getting ready for school—for 1st and 2nd grade. It seems like they are in slow motion and no sense of urgency! “Hurry up! Move faster! Let’s go! Finish your breakfast! Grab your mask! The drop off line will take forever is we get there past 7:45!”
I don’t know what kind of effect that will have on them (hopefully positive…)
but that same attitude of wanting to be early—often carries into my spiritual life and relationship with God, and I think you will relate.
I often tell God—sometimes directly or indirectly with my attitude— “Come on! Move faster! Let’s go! Answer my prayer now—Intervene now! you should have finished this a long time ago, God...” and yet God doesn’t always answer my prayer.
In fact, he seems to say “Hold on. Wait. Be patient. Persevere. Trust me.”
and my response--Boy that’s frustrating, maddening,
or in all seriousness—for some of us, it can cause us to leave the faith,
or never enter a relationship with Jesus—because we are mad at God and bitter.
Well, today’s text Daniel 8 seems to address this at some level, even though it is a weird and crazy text!
Daniel the prophet and God’s people, Israel, have been captives under the horrible, pagan, ruthless nation of Babylon for over 50+ years....and they want freedom. They want God to answer and deliver them NOW (or 50 years ago!
and in Daniel 8—God gives them answer, but it may not be the answer they want—but it’s the answer they need.
and as we see that answer—we will see it is the kind of answer God is giving us today—b/c many of us are in a season of waiting. We can’t wait for things to be different in our life, our country, our culture.
How do we understand when God doesn’t move fast enough. How do we actually embrace God’s Timing!
Just a reminder we are in the 2nd half of Daniel—and this is full of strange visions and dreams—called apocalyptic imagery—
basically God is giving them an answer they can taste!
If I see bacon, that makes me want bacon...
If I hear the sound of bacon sizzling…I want it more...
If I smell bacon....bring on the bacon...
and I taste bacon....that is the most mesmerizing experience.
God gives Daniel he can taste.
1 In the third year of King Belshazzar’s reign, I, Daniel, had a vision, after the one that had already appeared to me.
so this is Daniel’s 2nd vision from God. King Belshazzar is the king of Babylon
2 In my vision I saw myself in the citadel of Susa in the province of Elam; in the vision I was beside the Ulai Canal.
(map?) Susa is about 200 miles east of Jerusalem. In the Persian Empire, which would follow Babylon.
3 I looked up, and there before me was a ram with two horns, standing beside the canal, and the horns were long. One of the horns was longer than the other but grew up later.
4 I watched the ram as it charged toward the west and the north and the south. No animal could stand against it, and none could rescue from its power. It did as it pleased and became great.
so a ram with 2 horns---conquering territory to the west, north, and south.
btw—what do you think this ram stands for if it is conquering territory?
5 As I was thinking about this, suddenly a goat with a prominent horn between its eyes came from the west, crossing the whole earth without touching the ground.
6 It came toward the two-horned ram I had seen standing beside the canal and charged at it in great rage.
7 I saw it attack the ram furiously, striking the ram and shattering its two horns. The ram was powerless to stand against it; the goat knocked it to the ground and trampled on it, and none could rescue the ram from its power.
8 The goat became very great, but at the height of its power the large horn was broken off, and in its place four prominent horns grew up toward the four winds of heaven.
so the ram and the goat have a battle…and the goat defeats the ram. this goat with a prominent horn. and it becomes great, but at the height of its power the large horn is broken off and 4 horns grew up in its place.
what does that mean?
horns in the Bible symbolize strength.
but before we know what the ram, the goat, the 4 horns means—the vision keeps going
9 Out of one of them came another horn, which started small but grew in power to the south and to the east and toward the Beautiful Land.
so out of one of those 4 horns from the goat—grew another horn which grew in power
The Beautiful Land is Israel
10 It grew until it reached the host of the heavens, and it threw some of the starry host down to the earth and trampled on them.
11 It set itself up to be as great as the commander of the army of the Lord; it took away the daily sacrifice from the Lord, and his sanctuary was thrown down.
12 Because of rebellion, the Lord’s people and the daily sacrifice were given over to it. It prospered in everything it did, and truth was thrown to the ground.
This horn—this being—sets itself up against God and his angelic host; it sets itself up against God’s people—doing away with the daily temple sacrifice and desecrating the temple in Jerusalem.
13 Then I heard a holy one speaking, and another holy one said to him, “How long will it take for the vision to be fulfilled—the vision concerning the daily sacrifice, the rebellion that causes desolation, the surrender of the sanctuary and the trampling underfoot of the Lord’s people?”
14 He said to me, “It will take 2,300 evenings and mornings; then the sanctuary will be reconsecrated.”
what does all this mean? Why would God give this vision to Daniel on behalf of God’s people as they are waiting for God to intervene; He can’t be fast enough!
15 While I, Daniel, was watching the vision and trying to understand it, there before me stood one who looked like a man.
16 And I heard a man’s voice from the Ulai calling, “Gabriel, tell this man the meaning of the vision.”
this is the angel Gabriel
17 As he came near the place where I was standing, I was terrified and fell prostrate. “Son of man,” he said to me, “understand that the vision concerns the time of the end.”
18 While he was speaking to me, I was in a deep sleep, with my face to the ground. Then he touched me and raised me to my feet.
and now—he is going to tell us what this means
19 He said: “I am going to tell you what will happen later in the time of wrath, because the vision concerns the appointed time of the end.
20 The two-horned ram that you saw represents the kings of Media and Persia.
21 The shaggy goat is the king of Greece, and the large horn between its eyes is the first king.
22 The four horns that replaced the one that was broken off represent four kingdoms that will emerge from his nation but will not have the same power.
so this is interesting—God is telling Daniel the next 2 world empires that would come after Babylon.
—First, would be Media and Persia—that’s why the ram has 2 horns—one is longer—so Persia was more powerful than Media. and they would come and conquer Babylon and the known world
look at the map.
Here’s Babylon (map #1) the first empire.
a new empire—the ram is coming (map #2)
but Persia wouldn’t last long either.
—the goat—Greece would come, and the large horn between its eyes is the first king—who in world history ended up being Alexander the Great
He became a general at the ripe old age of 21. He conquered the known world at the time from Italy to India by the age of 26. That’s probably a world record at the time. But at vs. 8 shows, the horn was broken off--Alexander died suddenly at the age of 33 in 323 BC--leaving behind 2 young sons. These young boys were quickly murdered, and the Greek empire was divided among his 4 generals--the 4 horns.”
so the Greek Empire was split into at least 4 empires--
look at the map…and now a new empire (map #3 Greece)
but the interpretation is not done.
23 “In the latter part of their reign, when rebels have become completely wicked, a fierce-looking king, a master of intrigue, will arise.
this is the little horn that comes out of Greece. from the description that follows this little horn is most likely a man named:
Antiochus Epiphanes (175 - 164 BC)
24 He will become very strong, but not by his own power. He will cause astounding devastation and will succeed in whatever he does. He will destroy those who are mighty, the holy people.
25 He will cause deceit to prosper, and he will consider himself superior. When they feel secure, he will destroy many and take his stand against the Prince of princes. Yet he will be destroyed, but not by human power.
This Greek king, Antiochus was a tyrant.
He seized the kingdom from his nephew; He tried to forced his entire kingdom to adopt Greek cultural and religious practices.
He banned such things such as Jewish circumcision, which was a big deal for the people of God because circumcision was the physical marker that showed they belonged to God.
He stopped the sacrifices at the rebuilt temple in Jerusalem in 167 BC, another big deal for Jews because there were daily sacrifices that were supposed to occur there.
And then, in a crazy, stunning act, Antiochus defiled the rebuilt temple in Jerusalem by burning pig’s flesh on the altar (pigs were considered unclean to Jews), and he put an object sacred to the Greek god Zeus in the holy of holies in the temple, the most sacred part of the temple. He burned copies of the Scriptures (remember, they did not have books back then--so copies of Scriptures were priceless) and murdered many who were faithful to God. If you look back at vs. 9-13, you see that he waged war against the people of God, and against God himself.
In history we know that these wicked acts triggered a rebellion from the people of God against Antiochus Epiphanes. And the people of God won their freedom under a man named Judas Maccabeus.
btw—chapter 8 is way more specific in naming its interpretation—more than chapter 7 last week.
last 2 verses
26 “The vision of the evenings and mornings that has been given you is true, but seal up the vision, for it concerns the distant future.”
27 I, Daniel, was worn out. I lay exhausted for several days. Then I got up and went about the king’s business. I was appalled by the vision; it was beyond understanding.
BTW—i said last week that the ultimate purpose of prophecy or apocalyptic isn’t just foretelling—giving future events—it is forth telling—giving us truth about God now in a way that impacts us now.
so how does this relate to my opening question?
what do we do when God isn’t answering our prayer fast enough?
Daniel and his people wanted God to move now and bring deliverance from Babylon...
but instead…there’s going be a Ram (Medes and the Persians)
and then a goat (Alexander the Great and Greece)
and the another little horn—Antiochus Epiphanes.
or what do we do when God isn’t answering our prayer like we want?
How do we embrace God’s timing?
look at what God is reminding Daniel and thereby us...
Reminder #1: Even though we may not like God’s timing, trust that God is fully in control.
Reminder #1: Even though we may not like God’s timing, trust that God is fully in control.
This is one of the strong themes of the book of Daniel.
The fact that this prophecy is so specific on what would happen on the world stage for the next 400 years would come to pass, has made many people think that Daniel must have written this AFTER the fact, but no, if we believe God is all powerful and all-knowing, He knows and He plans everything that is going to come to pass.
Both the good…and even the bad.
part of the bad that is going on here was in response to Israel abandoning God. God led them into captivity under Babylon because His people had left Him, forsaken him, pursued other gods. and God had warned them this would happen if they followed other gods.
12 Because of rebellion, the Lord’s people and the daily sacrifice were given over to it. It prospered in everything it did, and truth was thrown to the ground.
because of rebellion—the Lord’s people, part of this was God’s way of getting their attention.
And God discipline them out of his love to bring them back and get their attention.
and Daniel probably thought— “Haven’t you got our attention long enough?”
God says “No.” 2 more empires to come—Medes and the Persians and the Greek.
more horrible kings, especially one to come.
yet all of this:
Babylon
Persia
Greece
Alexander the Great
the little horn—Antiochus Epiphanes
God reminded Daniel that none of these kingdoms are ultimate;
none of these kingdoms or kings last.
all are taken down; all fall; all are temporary, so be encouraged Daniel; God is still on throne
in fact—look at Daniel 8:25
25 He will cause deceit to prosper, and he will consider himself superior. When they feel secure, he will destroy many and take his stand against the Prince of princes. Yet he will be destroyed, but not by human power.
some of us need that reminder today—even if you are going through a rough time,
some of us are facing financial problems.
some of us are facing relationship problems and marital problems.
some of us are fighting a tough diagnosis.
some of us are fighting anxiety and depression.
some addictions of all kinds.
some of us are just tired...
not to mention just political fatigue
and pandemic fatigue
it’s all maddening
and everyone is just mad....
some are just waiting to get pregnant—and have kids or have grandkids or have a spouse or just a friend and not be so lonely.
why would God allow, even dare I say—based on this chapter plan everything you are going through… “I don’t know the exact reasons...”
but we must not forget God is in control.
sometimes we can guess those reasons—maybe he is getting our attention, helping us to depend on him more—b/c when life is going well we get self-sufficient; we forget God.
but ultimately He knows.
This means that He can still do something about it.
and this means that He has purposes for it, far beyond our understanding
so if we are going to embrace God’s timing—remember God is in control—fully and finally.
embrace it...
Reminder #2: Know and experience that God still cares for His people.
Reminder #2: Know and experience that God still cares for His people.
It is significant in this passage—that God spends more time on talking about the horn that rose up and oppressed God’s people—Antiochus Epiphanes, and really not much time on Alexander the Great who conquered the known world in 12 years. Most world history books, most reporters would focus on Alexander the Great—but not God and this vision—they focus on Antiochus Epiphanes. Why?
Because God is very concerned with the suffering of his people. God sees their sufferings and cares.
While he allows it to happen and even plans it—it is short and limited.
14 He said to me, “It will take 2,300 evenings and mornings; then the sanctuary will be reconsecrated.”
While we try to exactly match up from history that 2300 days, or is it 1150 days b/c it is morning and evening—the main truth communicated is that God has ordained a set # of days for the suffering and oppression of his people. He sets Antiochus Epiphanes’ days and no longer.
And he sees your days, and your days of suffering are numbered!
and you may say—that’s good to know, Pastor Rick—but why can’t the # be shorter?
or if God is in control and all powerful why doesn’t He stop it now—I want it now!
While I don’t know God’s reasons and will for that—I do know that He cares for you.
And the biggest proof of his care—is that He also ordained and planned that His Son, His only Son, would live, and die on the cross.
He sent His son to identify with us, to live perfectly the life you and I failed to live, and to die the death you and I deserved on the cross.
though what Antiochus Epiphanes what he did was horrible to desecrate the Jewish temple—what mankind did to Jesus Christ, the real temple—was even worse. On the cross, mankind and kingdom of darkness did their worst to Jesus, and it seemed like God was out of control—but no, God was in control fully the whole time.
This was part of God’s plan!
so that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who could pay for our sin before a holy God!
look at Acts 4:27-28
27 Indeed Herod and Pontius Pilate met together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel in this city to conspire against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed.
28 They did what your power and will had decided beforehand should happen.
so if God can use the horrific death of His only Son, the most horrible act in history for our good and His glory, can He not use your situation.
this 2nd point helps us embrace point #1—it can be hard to embrace that God is in control (point #1)—but when we remember that God cares for us so much that He planned for His only Son to save us—we who are his enemies; who experienced what we experience at some level--we know He cares for us and loves us so (point #2)
Final point...
BTW---
Sometimes I wish we could all get up in front and share our deepest and darkest problems and secrets…because it’s easy to think that no one is struggling, “I’m the only one.” “No one understands.” I guarantee that those here and those watching are massively struggling. We are all mess—in need of an amazing Savior to save us—and we Have him!
Reminder #3: Keep being faithful in the little things of life. (vs. 27)
Reminder #3: Keep being faithful in the little things of life. (vs. 27)
what do I mean—this feels anti-climactic.
look at what Daniel did after this crazy vision.
27 I, Daniel, was worn out. I lay exhausted for several days. Then I got up and went about the king’s business. I was appalled by the vision; it was beyond understanding.
it is intriguing that Daniel did not understand it—b/c didn’t God just reveal the meaning. didn’t he say what would happen? but remember—he didn’t live long enough to see it all fully pass. we have even more insight this side of the vision.
but even though he did not fully understand it—he kept living life.
Yes—he took a couple of sick days.
but he went to work.
he went about the king’s business.
He could have said, “That’s it—no point in serving the king. It’s all useless anyways. We aren’t going to get our freedom!”
but most of Daniel’s life was pretty ordinary. Yes we read the highlights of him in the lion’s den and the visions—but most days were being a busy, gov’t official, serving the king while remaining faithful to the Lord.
We, too, even if we are not getting the answer we want—are called to do everything to the glory of God. Whatever you do, whether you eat or drink, do the glory of God. Be a faithful student, boss, employee, stay at home parent, retiree, spouse, parent, child, athlete, musician, artist—and do those things to the glory of God.
Yes—the nations are raging.
There are beasts in chapter 7.
but by chapter 8—they are just domesticated animals like rams and goats in God’s eyes.
God may not work his deliverance right now like we want—it certainly is still worth asking—but He will.
After all, as powerful as a ram and a goat are—another figure would come, and He is depicted not as a ram or a goat—but as Lamb—ruling and reigning. He wouldn’t smash them with his horns or a prominent horns—Jesus initially defeated the animal farm—when he as the lamb of God died on the cross, taking away the sin of all who trust in Jesus Christ, and when He comes back this Lamb will fully and finally defeat all the forces of evil.
I don’t know what you are waiting on—but I know that Jesus the Lamb embraced the Father’s will to die for us; let’s embrace God’s timing for us.