Daniel 8.20-The Ram with Two Horns Represents the Kings of Media and Persia
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Tuesday August 27, 2013
Daniel: Daniel 8:20-The Ram with Two Horns Represents the Kings of Media and Persia
Lesson # 247
Please turn in your Bibles to Daniel 8:1.
Daniel 8:1 During the third year of Belshazzar’s reign, the king, a vision appeared to me, I, Daniel after the one appearing to me previously. 2 Indeed, I was staring because of this vision. Specifically, I myself was in a trance like state staring as I myself was in Susa, the citadel, which was in the province of Elam. Furthermore, I was staring because of this vision as I myself was beside the Ulai Canal. 3 Then, I lifted up my eyes and then I was staring as behold a ram was standing in front of the canal with it possessing two horns. Furthermore, the two horns were long. However, one was longer than the other with the longer one growing up last. 4 I saw this ram continually butting westward as well as northward and in addition southward as all the beasts could by no means stand in front of it. Furthermore, none could deliver out from its power so that it acted according to its desire. Indeed, it became great. 5 Then, I myself was in a trance like state as behold a male-goat who is ruler over the goats, was traveling from the west over the earth’s surface. In fact, it was not touching the earth’s surface. Also, this male-goat had a conspicuous horn between its eyes. 6 Next, it traveled up to the ram possessing two horns which I saw standing in front of the canal. In fact, it charged against it in a powerful rage. 7 Consequently, I saw it wage an attack opposing this ram while causing itself to become enraged against it. Indeed, it repeatedly struck this ram so as to shatter its two horns. Also, there was no ability in the ram to stand in front of it. Then, it drove it to the ground as well as trampled on it repeatedly. Indeed, to the detriment of the ram, there was none who could deliver from its power. 8 So the male-goat who is the ruler over the goats was very great. However, as soon as it became powerful, the unusual horn was broken. Then, in its place, four conspicuous ones arose towards the heaven’s four winds. 9 Next, from one of them, a small horn in comparison emerged which grew excessively large toward the south as well as the east and in addition the beautiful land. 10 Specifically, it grew larger than the heaven’s host. Indeed, it caused some of this host, yes some of these stars to fall to the earth. Also, it trampled on them. 11 It even presented itself as great as the host’s Commander while taking away the daily sacrifice from Him so that His holy place was abandoned. 12 Consequently the host along with the daily sacrifice were delivered over to it through transgression. Also, it caused the truth to be thrown to the ground. Indeed, it executed, yes it succeeded. 13 Then I heard a holy one speaking and a holy one said to this particular one who was speaking, “How long is the vision, the daily sacrifice, specifically the transgression making desolate so as to deliver over both the sanctuary as well as the host to be trampled?” 14 Consequently he said to me, “For 2,300 evenings, and mornings. Then, the sanctuary will be reconsecrated.” 15 Now, I was in a trance like state staring at this vision, which I, Daniel desired to understand as behold one like a man in appearance was standing directly in front of me. 16 Then, I heard a human being’s voice between the banks of the Ulai. Indeed, it ordered and said “Gabriel, enable this one to understand the vision.” 17 Therefore, he approached my location. Indeed, when he approached, I was terrified so that I fell upon my face. Then, he said to me, “Please, understand descendant of Adam that the vision extends to the end time.” 18 Now while he was speaking with me for my benefit, I was caused to enter the state of being in a deep sleep with my face to the ground. However, he touched me so that he caused me to stand upon my feet. 19 Then, he said, “Behold, I am about to cause you to know what will take place during the righteous indignation related to the end because the vision extends to an appointed period of time related to the end. 20 This ram which you saw possessing the two horns represents the kings ruling over Media as well as Persia.” (My translation)
Daniel 8:20 “The ram which you saw with the two horns represents the kings of Media and Persia.” (NASB95)
“The ram” is the noun ʾǎ·yil (אַיִל) (ah´-yil), which is referring to the ram standing by the Ulai Canal which was butting westward, northward and southward but was defeated by the male-goat.
“You saw” is the verb rā∙ʾā(h) (רָאָה) (raw-aw), which refers to Daniel looking at a prophetic revelatory vision of the ram with two horns which initially butted westward, northward and southward so that no beast could stand against it but was defeated by the male-goat with the conspicuous horn between its eyes.
“With” is the noun bǎ·ʿǎl (בַּעַל) (bah´-al), which means “possessing” indicating that this ram “possessed” two horns.
“The kings” is the noun mě∙lěḵ (מֶלֶךְ) (meh-lek), which is used with reference to the kings of Media and Persia referring to the governmental heads of these two nations.
“Media” refers to the inhabitants of northwest Iran, southwest of the Caspian Sea and north of the Zagros Mountains.
This nation covered the modern province of Azerbaijan and part of Persian Kurdistan.
“Persia” corresponds to the modern state of Iran and was actually a vast collection of states and kingdoms reaching from the shores of Asia Minor in the west to the Indus River Valley in the east.
It reached northward to southern Russia and in the south included Egypt and the regions bordering the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman.
Daniel 8:20 “This ram which you saw possessing the two horns represents the kings ruling over Media as well as Persia.” (My translation)
Gabriel informs Daniel that in the vision the ram possessing two horns which was defeated by the male-goat represents the kings of Media and Persia.
In Daniel 8:3, Daniel tells the reader that this ram possessed two long horns.
However, one was longer than the other with the longer of the two coming up after the shorter one.
Now, here in Daniel 8:20, the elect archangel Gabriel identifies this ram as representing the kings/kingdoms of Media and Persia.
That one horn was longer than the other represents the fact that Persia was more dominant the Media, which is made clear by history.
Therefore, this ram corresponds to the silver arms and chest of the statue in the vision God gave Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel chapter two as well as the second beast which resembled a bear in Daniel chapter seven.
The fact that the ram had one horn longer than the other corresponds to the second beast raised up to one side in Daniel 7:5, which represents the fact that the kingdom of Persia would become more dominant over the kingdom of Media.
Now, we must remember that the ancient Orientals regarded kings and kingdoms synonymously.
Therefore, when Gabriel tells Daniel that the ram with the two horns represents the kings of Media and Persia, the two horns also represents these two kingdoms.
This is also made clear by the context since in Daniel 8:21, Gabriel informs Daniel that the male or shaggy goat represents the “kingdom” of Greece.
We saw this phenomenon in chapter seven.
In Daniel 7:23 Gabriel tells Daniel that the fourth beast will be a fourth kingdom on the earth.
He does this after telling him in Daniel 7:17 that the four great beasts represent four kings.
Thus, a comparison of these two verses supports the idea that in the mind of Daniel, kings and kingdoms were synonymous.
Furthermore, Daniel 8:20 reveals a principle of interpreting the Bible, namely that the Bible interprets itself.
There is no guess work as to who the ram represents since Gabriel under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit informs Daniel that it represents the kings of Media and Persia.
When Daniel received this vision which appears in chapter eight in the sixth century B.C. Babylon was still the superpower of the world but through this vision, God is telling Daniel that Medo-Persian will replace Babylon as the superpower of the world.
In little over a decade after Daniel received this vision, Babylon was defeated by Medo-Persia.
Therefore, this teaches us that God is sovereign and executes judgments against the nations of the earth, which should comfort the Christian when their government or any government is committing evil of any type.
Daniel chapter eight teaches us that God raises up insignificant nations to be great and humbles great nations by subjugating them to other nations.
Therefore, this teaches us that God is sovereign and omnipotent in the sense that He can bring to pass anything He desires.
This teaches that God’s Word is powerful (Hebrews 4:12) and is watching over His Word to perform it according to Jeremiah 1:12.
The application for us here in the church age is that if God’s Word is powerful enough to raise up an insignificant nation and make it a superpower and world-wide empire as was the case with Babylon, Medo-Persia and Greece, His Word is certainly able to handle all of our problems and adversities in life.
So a comparison Daniel 8:3-4 with Daniel 8:20 reveals that in the sixth century B.C. in symbolic language God was informing Daniel through Gabriel that the Medo-Persian Empire, which at the time was not a world-wide empire, would rise to superpower status and become a world-wide empire.
God was symbolically predicting in little over a decade before this empire came to world prominence, that it would become a superpower on the earth.
Again, the application for us here in the church age in the twenty first century is that God is not only sovereign over the nations raising up insignificant nations and tribes to superpower status and world-wide empires but he also judges world-wide empires handing them over to other nations (cf. Daniel 2:21; Isaiah 40:15, 17).
Daniel chapter eight also teaches us that God’s Word is omnipotent in the sense that He can bring to pass whatever He says, which should encourage us and compel us to exercise faith in God’s Word and obey His Word in order to solve our problems in life and deal with our adversities.
This chapter like the rest of the book of Daniel teaches us that God controls history and circumstances since He is responsible for nations rising and falling and since this is the case, we should be content with our circumstances since God put us in our circumstances in order to glorify Him and fulfill His purpose.
Daniel 8:20 reveals that God is sovereign since through Gabriel, God the Holy Spirit in the sixth century B.C. is predicting future events that are in accordance with the Father’s will.
The term “sovereignty” connotes a situation in which a person, from his innate dignity, exercises supreme power, with no areas of his province outside his jurisdiction.
As applied to God, the term “sovereignty” indicates His complete power over all of creation, so that He exercises His will absolutely, without any necessary conditioning by a finite will or wills.
Daniel 8:20 and the entire book of Daniel reveals the omniscience of God since history records the prophecies which appear in Daniel chapter eight and the entire book of Daniel have come to pass.
The omniscience of God is that attribute by which He knows perfectly and completely each and every event, circumstance-past, present and future as well as each and every person and decision that these persons would make-past, present and future.
What is hidden from the human mind is known perfectly and completely by God.
The book of Daniel manifests the divine decree of God with regards to events, people and nations.
The divine decree took place in eternity past before anything was ever created and is God’s eternal and immutable will.
The divine decrees are the eternal plans by which God renders certain all the events of the universe, including both angelic and human history—past, present, and future.
The divine decrees are actually one decree but because of the limitations of our human brain we often use the plural, decrees, to express the many facets of God’s plan.
The decree of God is the chosen and adopted plan of all His works.
It is His eternal purpose, according to His will; whereby, for His own glory, He foreordains whatever comes to pass.
It is the sovereign choice of His divine will and His omniscience, by which all things are brought into being and controlled, made subject to His pleasure, and made to produce His glorification.
Thus, the divine decrees originated with God, long before any creature of any kind existed, and are objectively designed for His own glory and pleasure (Romans 8:28-29).
God has rendered certain all the events of the universe, including both angelic and human history-past, present and future.
Therefore, God rendered certain to take place all the events of human history-past, present and future and thus figured these various circumstances into His plan.
God’s decree rendered all things as certain to occur and He decided that they would exist and so therefore, God rendered certain to occur all the events of human history-past, present and future and God decided that they would take place.
The decree of God is the chosen and adopted plan of all God’s works and so it was a part of God’s chosen and adopted plan that every event of human history-past, present and future would take place.
The decree of God is His eternal purpose according to the counsels of His own will, whereby for His own glory He has foreordained whatever comes to pass.
Therefore, it was part of God’s eternal purpose according to the counsels of His own will for His own glory that all the events of human history-past, present and future would take place.
The decree of God is the sovereign choice of the divine will (His sovereignty) and mentality (His omniscience) by which all things are brought into being and controlled, made subject to His pleasure, and producing His glorification.
Therefore, the events of human history-past, present and future are the result of God’s sovereign will and omniscience by which these events were brought into being and were controlled and made subject to God’s pleasure and glorified Him.