01.12. CHAPTER 12 - Antichrist to be A Supreme Ruler for A Short Time
CHAPTER 12
Antichrist to be A Supreme Ruler for A Short Time LESSON TEXT - - Daniel 8:1-14 The Prophecies in the Book of Daniel Concern Those Who Are Living Today -- The Ten Horns on the Nondescript Beast Represent Ten Kings Who Will Rule Over the Last World Empire -- The Little Horn, Which Rose Up and Subdued Three of the Ten Horns Represents the Coming Antichrist Who Will Make Himself Supreme Ruler for a Short Period of Time -- Daniel’s Vision of the Downfall of the Medo-Persian Empire and the Rise of the Grecian Empire -- The Exploits and Wicked Works of Antiochus Epiphanes -- The Jewish Sanctuary Was to Remain Desolate for a Long Time -- History Confirms This Prophesy
Daniel, as we know, was the great prophet to the Gentiles. Therefore, what we find recorded in the Book of Daniel, greatly concerns those of us who are living now in the times of the Gentiles. From the Word of GOD, and from current events also, we have reason to believe that "the times of the Gentiles" are rapidly drawing to a close. Jews and Gentiles alike, therefore, would do well to study and heed the words of the Prophet Daniel, to whom it was given to see and to understand the march of empire during the Gentile period.
Our last lesson was based upon Daniel 6:19-28. In this portion of the chapter, we studied chiefly concerning the little horn which came up among the ten horns upon the non-descript beast, and which subdued three of the ten horns. Daniel was especially interested in this little horn and when he asked for an explanation, it was given to him through the interpreter who said in Daniel 7:23-28 : "The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces. And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings. And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times, and the dividing of time. But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end. And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole Heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him. Hitherto is the end of the matter. As for me Daniel, my cogitations much troubled me, and my countenance changed in me: but I kept the matter in my heart."
From this interpretation we know that the little horn, which was revealed to Daniel in his vision, as recorded in the 7th chapter was none other than the coming Antichrist.
DANIEL’S VISION OF WORLD EMPIRE
Now with these thoughts in mind we are ready to advance in our study by considering what is written in Daniel 8:1-14 where the Prophet said: "In the third year of the reign of king Belshazzar a vision appeared unto me, even unto me Daniel, after that, which appeared unto me at the first. And I saw in a vision! and it came to pass, when I say, that I was at Shushan in the palace, which is in the province of Elam; and I saw in a vision, and I was by the river of Ulai. Then I lifted up mine eyes, and saw, and, behold, there stood before the river a ram which had two horns: and the two horns were high; but one was higher than the other, and the higher came up last. I saw the ram pushing westward, and northward, and southward; so that no beasts might stand before him, neither was there any that could deliver out of his hand; but he did according to his will, and became great. And, as I was considering, behold, an he goat came from the west on the face of the whole earth, and touched not the ground: and the goat had a notable horn between his eyes. And he came to the ram that had two horns, which I had seen standing before the river, and ran unto him in the fury of his power. And I saw him come close unto the ram, and he was moved with choler against him, and smote the ram, and brake his two horns: and there was no power in the ram to stand before him, but he cast him down to the ground, and stamped upon him: and there was none that could deliver the ram out of his hand. Therefore, the he goat waxed very great: and when he was strong, the great horn was broken; and for it came up four notable ones, toward the four winds of Heaven. And out of one of them came forth a little horn, which waxed exceeding great, toward the south, and toward the east, and toward the pleasant land, or Palestine. And it waxed great, even to the host of Heaven; and it cast down some of the host, and of the stars, to the ground, and stamped upon them. Yea, he magnified himself even to the prince of the host, and by him the daily sacrifice was taken away, and the place of his sanctuary was cast down. And a host was given him against the daily sacrifice by reason of transgression, and it cast down the truth to the ground; and it practiced and prospered. Then I heard one saint which speaking, and another saint said unto that certain saint which spake, How long shall be the vision concerning the daily sacrifice, and the transgression of desolation, to give both the sanctuary and the host to be trodden under foot? And he said unto me, Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed."
DANIEL’S INTEREST IN THE LAST WORLD EMPIRE
You will remember that in Daniel 7:19-20, the Prophet said: "Then I would know the truth of the fourth beast, which was diverse from all the others, exceeding dreadful, whose teeth were of iron, and his nails of brass; which devoured, brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with his feet; And of the ten horns that were in his head, and of the other which came up, and before whom three fell; even of that horn that had eyes, and a mouth that spake very great things, whose look was more stout than his fellows."
After careful study and research, I am constrained to believe that most of what is written in the remaining chapters of this Book, is the answer to those things which Daniel desired to know concerning the fourth beast, which represented the Roman Empire and the little horn which symbolized the coming Antichrist. In Daniel the 7th chapter the revived Roman Empire and the Antichrist who will rule over the earth in the last days were merely introduced, as it were, to Daniel, and subsequently to all of us. Therefore, for full and complete information concerning the revived Roman Empire and the Antichrist, we will have to study the remaining chapters in the Book of Daniel.
THE TIME OF THESE VISIONS
In Daniel 8:1, we discover two years’ difference in time between the vision which Daniel received in Daniel 7:1-28 and the vision which he received in chapter 8 concerning the ram and the he goat. In Daniel 8:1 he said: "In the third year of the reign of king Belshazzar a vision appeared unto me, even unto me Daniel, after that, which appeared unto me at the first."
THE PLACE WHERE THE VISION WAS RECEIVED
The place of the vision is suggested in Daniel 8:2 where Daniel said: "And I saw in a vision! and it came to pass, when I say, that I was at Shushan in the palace, which is in the province of Elam; and I saw in a vision, and I was by the river of Ulai." From the wording of this passage, it is difficult to determine whether Daniel was there in person or in spirit only. At any rate, it is interesting to know that Shushan in the province of Elam was the place where the events, in the Book of Esther, came to pass. Shushan was one of the capitols of the Medo-Persian Empire.
WHAT THE BEAR REPRESENTED
In the vision of the March of Empire, given to Daniel, the Medo-Persian Empire was represented by a bear, which raised up itself on one side and which had three ribs in its mouth and which devoured much flesh.
THE RAM AND THE HE-GOAT
Now in making known to Daniel the full truth concerning the March of Empire and especially how the revival of the Roman Empire and the rise of the Antichrist would come about, GOD gave to him the ram and the goat vision.
In Daniel 8:3-4 of our lesson text he said: "Then I lifted up mine eyes, and saw, and, behold, there stood before the river a ram which had two horns: and the two horns were high; but one was higher than the other, and the higher came up last. I saw the ram pushing westward, and northward, and southward; so that no beasts might stand before him, neither was there any that could deliver out of his hand; but he did according to his will, and became great."
THE SUCCESSIVE ORDER OF WORLD EMPIRES
Remember, please, in the March of Empire during the times of the Gentiles, Babylon was the first great empire. As we know, it was succeeded by the Medo-Persian Empire. The third great empire was that of Greece under Alexander.
The ram and goat vision which was given to Daniel before the downfall of the Medo-Persian Empire, and before the rise of the Grecian Empire, revealed to him just how these things would come to pass.
For instance in Daniel 8:5-7 he said: "And, as I was considering, behold, an he goat came from the west on the face of the whole earth, and touched not the ground: and the goat had a notable horn between his eyes. And he came to the ram that had two horns, which I had seen standing before the river, and ran unto him in the fury of his power. And I saw him come close unto the ram, and he was moved with choler against him, and smote the ram, and brake his two horns: and there was no power in the ram to stand before him, but he cast him down to the ground, and stamped upon him: and there was none that could deliver the ram out of his hand."
THE RAM REPRESENTED MEDO-PERSIA
From this reading it is not difficult to see that the ram in this vision (which had two horns) represented the Medo-Persian Empire! The ram, we are told, was the symbol of Persia and was borne on her banners when her armies went forth to battle. The fact that one of the horns on the ram representing the Medo-Persian Empire, was higher than the other, indicated that the Persian portion of the kingdom would become the stronger, and that is exactly what came to pass.
THE GOAT REPRESENTED THE GRECIAN EMPIRE
We know also that the he goat in the vision, which came from the west, and which had a notable horn between his eyes represented the Grecian Empire under Alexander, which arose, and with swiftness of conquest, smote and subdued the Medo-Persian Empire, as indicated in Daniel 8:7 of our lesson text.
What eventually happened to the Grecian Empire is suggested in Daniel 8:8 of our lesson text where Daniel said: "Therefore, the he goat (or Grecian Empire) waxed very great: and when he was strong, the great horn was broken; and for it came up four notable ones, toward the four winds of Heaven." THE NOTABLE HORN REPRESENTED ALEXANDER THE GREAT
There is no question but what the notable horn on the he goat which represented the Grecian Empire was Alexander the Great. Alexander was the first king of the Grecian Empire, but he died when he was very young, being only 32 years of age. He died an untimely death due to drunkenness and debauchery.
THE FOUR DIVISIONS OF ALEXANDER’S KINGDOM
When Alexander died, the great kingdom which he had established was divided among his four leading generals. The four divisions of the Empire over which these four generals rules were: Syria, Egypt, Macedonia, and Asia Minor. We understand, therefore, how it was that the great horn was broken, and how in its place came up four notable ones toward the four winds of Heaven, as indicated in the 8th verse of our lesson text.
THE LITTLE HORN AND WHAT IT REPRESENTS
When the Grecian kingdom had been divided into its four divisions, something else happened, which was revealed to Daniel in advance.
In Daniel 8:9-12 he said: "And out of one of them (namely out of one of the divisions of the Grecian Empire) came forth a little horn, which waxed exceeding great, toward the south, and toward the east, and toward the pleasant land, or Palestine. And it waxed great, even to the host of Heaven; and it cast down some of the host, and of the stars, to the ground, and stamped upon them. Yea, he magnified himself even to the prince of the host, and by him the daily sacrifice was taken away, and the place of his sanctuary was cast down. And a host was given him against the daily sacrifice by reason of transgression, and it cast down the truth to the ground; and it practiced and prospered."
THE HISTORICAL APPLICATION
There is no doubt but what this portion of the chapter was historically fulfilled in the person and works of Antiochus Epiphanes.
Concerning this point, Dr. A.C. Gaebelein in his book on Daniel says:
"History does not leave us in doubt about the identity of this wicked king. He is the eighth king of the Seleucid dynasty, who took the Syrian throne and is known by the name of Antiochus Epiphanes, and bore also the name of Epemanes, i.e., "the Madman." He was the tyrant and oppressor of the Jews. His wicked deeds of oppression, blasphemy and sacrilege are fully described in the book of the Maccabees. Long before he ever appeared, Daniel saw him and his wicked work, in his vision. The host of Heaven towards whom this little horn waxed great, and the stars which he cast to the ground and stamped upon them, are symbols of the people Israel and those who held positions of authority and responsibility among the Jews such as the princes, the priests, and rabbis.
But he was more than that! His action against the sanctuary of the Lord is also prophetically pictured. He magnified himself to, (or rather) against the prince of the host (that of course is the Lord,) but not "by him," (that is, Antiochus,) the daily sacrifice was taken away, but "from him," that is, from the prince of the host, the daily sacrifice was taken away, and the place of his sanctuary was cast down. And it, the little horn, or Antichrist cast down the truth to the ground; and it practiced and prospered.
And all this was fulfilled in Antiochus Epiphanes. When he had conquered Jerusalem he sacrificed a sow upon the altar of burnt offerings and sprinkled its broth over the entire building. He corrupted the youths of Jerusalem by introducing lewd practices; the feast of tabernacles he changed into the feast of Bacchus. He auctioned off the high-priesthood. All kinds of infamies were perpetrated by him and the most awful obscenity permitted and encouraged. All true worship was forbidden and idol worship introduced, especially that of Jupiter Alympus. The whole city and land was devastated and some 100,000 pious Jews massacred. Such has been the remarkable fulfillment of this prophecy. In chapter 11 his doings are once more revealed."
HOW LONG THE SANTUARY WAS TO BE DESOLATE
Referring again to our lesson text in Daniel 8:13-14 Daniel said: "Then I heard one saint which speaking, and another saint said unto that certain saint which spake, How long shall be the vision concerning the daily sacrifice, and the transgression of desolation, to give both the sanctuary and the host to be trodden under foot? And he said unto me, Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed."
In this conversation which Daniel overheard, he received information which helped him to understand the vision which he had received.
The question was: How long shall be the vision concerning the daily sacrifice, and the transgression of desolation, to give both the sanctuary and the host to be trodden under foot?
Such a question and such language was of interest and importance to every Jew, for the daily sacrifice spoken of here, no doubt referred to the offering of sacrifices, by the Jews, on their altar of the temple in Jerusalem. Antiochus Epiphanes, as we have already discovered, defiled their temple and caused the offering of sacrificing to cease. When this occurred, it was natural that every Jew would be concerned and would be anxious to know, how long these conditions could continue to last. Therefore, in this vision and prophecy which was given to Daniel, concerning these things, (before they ever came to pass) it was revealed to him how long such conditions would continue!
In Daniel 8:14 it was revealed that, the condition of desolation of the Jewish sanctuary in Jerusalem that would be brought about by the little horn (the wicked king) would continue unto, two thousand and three hundred days. After which, it was promised that the sanctuary would be cleansed.
THIS PROPHECY NOW A MATTER OF HISTORY
An examination of the historical facts in the case reveal that the period of time spoken of here, means exactly what it says: Namely 2,300 days. After this period of time had expired, following the desolation of the sanctuary by Antiochus Epiphanes the sanctuary was cleansed by Judas the Macabee. Thus, we have a historical fulfillment of these things, which confirms the accuracy of the Divine record.
We should mention just here that Antiochus Epiphanes was a type of the coming Antichrist, who will likewise persecute the Jews and cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease in the rebuilt temple of the Jews in Jerusalem in the future when he comes into power. These things will be spoken of later, in our study of the remaining chapters of this remarkable Book of Prophecy.
CONCLUSION
In our lesson today, Daniel was given to see the downfall of the Medo-Persian Empire and the rise of the Grecian Empire, and how these things would come to pass. What was then prophesy is now a matter of history, and, therefore, we have no difficulty in understanding what is written in this portion of the Book of Daniel for our instruction.
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