Daniel 8

Daniel Chapter EightVerse 1 This chapter stands as the irrefutable example of genuine predictive prophecy at its most excellent achievement. Nobody, but nobody, can deny the obvious meaning of this prophecy. Even the most outspoken critical enemies freely admit the true meaning of the chapter, as did Herbert T. Andrews. He wrote: “The interpretation of the vision which is given by Gabriel to Daniel is exceptionally clear, and leaves no manner of doubt that it refers to events of the Maccabean age. The ram with the two horns stands for Medo-Persia. The He-goat is the Greek Empire, the first horn representing Alexander the Great, and the four later horns the four kingdoms into which the empire later split up. The “Little horn” is Antiochus Epiphanes. His attack upon the Jewish religion is clearly described."[1]The only support for the critical proposition that this is “prophecy written after the fact,” based on the absurd proposition that the Book of Daniel was written about 165 B.C. (in the times of the Maccabees), is their arrogant, imaginative assertion to that effect. We have referred to that assertion as “absurd.” Why?

Every line of the Book of Daniel is in the Septuagint (LXX) version of the Old Testament.; and it was translated into the Greek language in the year 250 B.C.. What better proof could there be that Daniel was written long, long before the times of the Maccabees which are so accurately described herein? There are also many other remarkable proofs of the divine origin of these remarkably vivid prophecies. For example, if Daniel had been written in the times after Alexander appeared upon the historical horizon, any writer of that period would most certainly have made the ram, and not the goat, to have been the Greek kingdom. Why? Because Alexander wore a ram’s horn on his crown; and this writer has seen gold seals in the Metropolitan Museum, New York City, carrying the image of Alexander the Great with his invariable ram’s horn. “Alexander wore that horn in support of his boast that he was the son of Jupiter-Ammon."[2]Then again, there is that story in Josephus which we mentioned in the introduction that when the High Priest of Jerusalem showed Alexander this chapter in the Book of Daniel, he spared the city from the punishment which their behavior had surely merited, and even extended the most amazing privileges to Jerusalem and the Jews. Some would question that story; but we accept it as the only reasonable explanation of what most surely happened in those events. In the light of known facts, therefore, we find it ,somewhat incredible that an alleged Christian author would declare that: Daniel is a straight piece of historical writing cast in the form of prophecy![3]We fully agree with the words of many of the old commentators, for example, those of Gaebelein, who stated that: “Here indeed is history prewritten, for all of these things were revealed while the Babylonian Empire was still flourishing. No wonder that critics and kindred infidels have tried their very best to break down the authenticity of this book."[4]Daniel 8:1-2“In the third year of the reign of king Belshazzar a vision appeared unto me, Daniel, after that which appeared unto me at the first. And I saw in the vision; now it was so, that when I saw, I was in Shushan the palace, which is in the province of Elam; and I saw in the vision, and I was by the river Ulai.“It is not necessary to suppose that Daniel was actually physically in Shushan for this vision, because the text clearly says that his being there was “when he saw.” Furthermore, at the end of the chapter, when he took up his regular business with the king he was not in Shushan, but in Babylon. From time to time, critics in their vain efforts to discredit the prophecy have complained that in the time here cited, namely in the third (and last year) of Belshazzar, Shushan had not then been constructed, or that it was not in the province of Elam, etc., etc. Those interested in pursuing such nit picking criticisms will find all of them thoroughly refuted by C. F. Keil.[5] His unequivocal conclusion was that, “The vision stands in intimate relationship to its contents and also to the time at which the revelation was made to Daniel."[6]Verse 3 “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; and no beasts could stand before him, neither was there any that could deliver out of his hand; but he did according to his will, and magnified himself.“Many have pointed out that the ram here is the same world power represented by the arms and breast of silver in Daniel 2:32 and the beast “like unto a bear” (Daniel 7:5). The symbolism is exactly the same in all three instances. The ram represents Medo-Persia. This is one kingdom with two elements (Median and Persian), not two successive powers, for they are here represented by one animal. The bear’s having three ribs in his mouth is the same as the ram pushing in three different directions, westward, northward, and southward.

The bear’s raising up on one side is the same as the younger horn of the ram rising up higher than the first one. These symbols show that the Persian Power, which was subsequent to the Median power, would become dominant in the later phase of this kingdom. The ferocity, power, and force of the ram speak of the mighty conquests of the Persians who at places such as Marathon and Thermopylae even extended their power out of Asia into Europe. It is of interest that in the ancient signs of the Zodiac, the Persians were under the sign of Aries the Ram, and Greece was under the sign of Capricorn the Goat.[7]Verse 5 “And as I was considering, a he-goat came from the west over the face of the whole earth, and he 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 saw standing before the river, and ran upon him in the fury of his power. And I saw him come close unto the ram, and he was moved with anger 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 trampled upon him; and there was none that could deliver the ram out of his hand. And the he-goat magnified himself exceedingly: and when he was strong, the great horn was broken; and instead of it there came up four notable horns toward the four winds of heaven.“THE OF THE GREATThis is so clear a prophecy that there is no wonder that Alexander the Great recognized himself in it when it was shown to him. Again we have the clear consonance of this vision with the earlier ones in Daniel 2 and Daniel 7. The Greek kingdom of Alexander was represented in the first as belly and thighs of brass, and in the second by a leopard with four wings. The four wings, of course, stand for swiftness; and here that characteristic is inherent in the fact that this he-goat went so fast that he did not even touch the ground! Note also that he came from the west. Alexander’s great conquests followed that course exactly. He crossed the Hellespont and carried his campaigns all the way to India, the only conqueror in world history ever to do that. The great central horn of the he-goat stands for Alexander himself. Note that it was broken when it was strong. It was at the very height of Alexander’s glory in 323 B.C. that he suddenly died as a result of his drinking and of a fever. The four notable horns that followed Alexander were most circumstantially fulfilled by the division of his world-empire into four parts: (1) Cassandra controlled Macedonia and Greece; (2) Lysimachus controlled Thrace and Asia Minor; (3) Ptolemy I took firm control of Egypt; and (4) Seleucus controlled Syria and Babylonia. As the prophecy said, “toward the four winds of heaven.” Note also that none of these ever attained the importance of Alexander’s kingdom, despite the fact of the Seleucids gaining some preeminence. It was from them that the blasphemous “little horn” arose to challenge the Jewish religion in the times of the Maccabees. Palestine at first fell under the control of Egypt, but later was taken over by the Seleucids. It was from them that the terrible “little horn” developed. All of Alexander’s empire finally disappeared into the dominions of the Roman Empire.

The last little remnant was that of the Ptolemys in Egypt; but Pompey reduced it to a Roman Province in 63 B.C. The famed Cleopatra was involved in events related to that. Verse 9 “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 glorious land. And it waxed great, even to the host of heaven; and some of the host and some of the stars it cast down to the ground, and trampled upon them. Yea, it magnified itself, even to the prince of the host; and it took away from him the continual burnt-offering, and the place of his sanctuary was cast down. And the host was given over to it together with the continual burnt-offering through transgression; and it cast down truth to the ground, and it did its pleasure and prospered. Then I heard a holy one speaking; and another holy one said unto that certain one who spake. How long shall be the vision concerning the continual burnt-offering, and the transgression that maketh desolate, to give both the sanctuary and the host to be trodden under foot?

And he said unto me, Unto two thousand and three hundred evenings and mornings; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.“THE LITTLE HORNSalient features of this are: (1) The terrible calamity prophesied was allowed to fall upon Israel “through transgressions” (Daniel 8:12), that means as a punishment for the sinful rebellion of Israel. (2) It will be a limited, controlled punishment. The sanctuary will again be cleansed. (3) The mention of the glorious land' (<a href="/bible/parallel/DAN/8/9" class="green-link">Daniel 8:9</a>) is a reference to Palestine. (4) The prince of the host’ (Daniel 8:11) is a reference to God Himself, since he is depicted as the owner of the sanctuary and as the possessor of the continual burnt-offerings. There is no disagreement whatever among scholars of all shades of belief. The Little Horn' of this passage is a prophecy of Antiochus Epiphanes. The title means, "Antiochus the Illustrious"; but the Jews referred to him as "Antiochus Epimanes," meaning "Antiochus the Madman." This Antiochus Epiphanes was an evil character who inherited the throne of the Seleucid branch of Alexander's empire from his brother Seleucus IV, continuing his abominable tyranny until his death in 163 B.C. His outrages against Judaism were related to his efforts to exterminate the worship of God which at that point in history was still controlled by the Law of Moses. This was in connection with his desire to Helenize (Grecianize) Palestine. Onias III was High Priest; but his brother Jason, who fully favored Antiochus' plans to exterminate God's religion and replace it with the worship of the Grecian deity Zeus, went to Antiochus and made a deal with him, that if he would get rid of Onias III, Jason would aid his plans. Onias III, therefore was murdered and the corruption of the Jewish worship for a few terrible years was indeed accomplished.[8]Antiochus' outrageous actions precipitated a rebellion against him by the Maccabees; and the Maccabean war resulted in the overthrow of Antiochus, and the cleansing and re-consecration of the temple, events which the Jews thereafter celebrated with a fourth annual convocation rivaling the three older ones dating from the times of Moses, namely, Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles. They called this celebration"The Feast of Lights," or"The Feast of Dedication." Many of the facts of the Jewish war led by the Maccabees are recorded in the apocryphal books of 1,2Maccabees and in the writings of Josephus. The extent of the desecrations imposed by Antiochus included the following: "The observance of all Jewish laws, especially those relating to the Sabbath and circumcision were forbidden under penalty of death. All Jewish sacrifices were forbidden, and sacrifices to pagan deities the old mythical gods of the Romans) were offered throughout the nation. Once a month they had a search; and anyone found with a copy of the Law of Moses was put to death. The same penalty applied to anyone who either permitted or allowed the rite of circumcision. In the year 168 B.C., a pagan altar was erected on top of the great Altar in the temple itself. Both the temple and the city of Jerusalem were dedicated to Zeus.[9] (This deity was the same as Jupiter Olympus). "He sacrificed a sow upon the altar of burnt-offering and sprinkled its blood over the entire building. He corrupted the youth of Jerusalem by the introduction of lewd and shameful practices; the feast of Tabernacles was made to be the feast of Bacchus; he auctioned off the office of the high priest; and he murdered at least 100,000 pious Jews."[10]Regarding the true interpretation of the 2,300 evenings and mornings, it would appear that any certain solution of this is impossible. Note that: (1) we do not know if the year or the religious year is meant; (2) we do not know if "evenings and mornings" mean "days," 2,300 days, or half that many days, since each day had both an evening and a morning; (3) the allegation that each day stands for a year (an assumption by no means proved) leads to the fantastic claim of the Seventh-Day Adventist Church that "Christ did not enter into the Holiest until the year 1844! In our studies of Revelation, it became evident that such numbers are almost certainly symbolical; and in that likelihood we have concluded that Keil is correct in seeing this number as a symbol. A symbol of what? "If we reduce these 2,300 days to years, we find that they add up to some three months and a little more past six years. The period of God's judgments falling either upon pagans as in the case of Nebuchadnezzar in chapter 4, or upon Israel as in the seven years famine under Ahab, or the punishment of Israel for David's numbering of the people (<a href="/bible/parallel/2SA/24/13" class="green-link">2 Samuel 24:13</a>), was usually a full period of seven years; and the fact of this desecration to be terminated in a little over six years, indicates that, It shall by no means reach the status of a full divine judgment against Israel.’"[11]Robert D. Culver was therefore most probably correct in the suggestion that the twenty-three hundred days, “Seem to refer to a period in 168-165 B.C. when the Temple was desecrated by pagan sacrifices."[12] If we must supply a reason why God permitted such outrageous transgressions against his holy religion, we need search no further than the prophecy of Malachi. The priesthood itself was cursed by Almighty God Himself for their shameful lapses; and such desecrations as arose in the 2century before Christ should therefore have been expected. Daniel 8:10-11 above, indicates that the wickedness of Antiochus was against the “host of heaven, and the prince of the host (even God).” Such language is very extravagant, after the manner of prophecy; but the simple meaning of it would appear to be: “The insolence of Antiochus was a wickedness against Heaven, and the heavenly order of things!"[13]Up to here the explanation of the prophecy is nearly transparent, there being practically no disagreement about it from any quarter. However, the introduction of an additional element inDaniel 8:17 brings into the passage suggestions of its application to events far in the future from the times of Antiochus. We shall note these in the explanations given in the prophecy itself. Verse 15 “And it came to pass when I, even I, Daniel, had seen the vision, that I sought to understand it; and, behold, there stood before me as the appearance of a man. And I heard a man’s voice between the banks of the Ulai, which called and said, Gabriel, make this man to understand the vision. So he came near where I stood; and when he came, I was affrighted, and fell upon my face: but he said unto me, Understand, O son of man; for the vision belongeth to the time of the end. Now as he was speaking with me, I fell into a deep sleep with my face toward the ground; but he touched me and set me upright. And he said, Behold, I will make thee know what shall be in the latter time of the indignation; for it belongeth to the appointed time of the end.“This paragraph has the first naming of a holy angel in the entire Bible, Gabriel being the same angel that appeared to Mary and to Zacharias. The great burden of what the angel here said is that this great prophecy has an application to “the end time,” It is extremely unlikely that this could possibly refer to anything else other than the end of “the indignation,” that is, “God’s indignation upon the human race as a result of their shameful rebellions against his will.” In the understanding of the prophets, the “latter days,” “the last days,” the “end times,” etc. invariably refer to the end of time, the setting up of the Messianic kingdom (always in the foreground) and of the final execution of the Great Judgment upon all mankind. Still another factor that almost certainly must be taken into consideration is the fact of Christ’s making the end of the Israelite nation (in the destruction of Jerusalem) a type of the final judgment (Matthew 24). In view of this, “the time of the end” might well have a dual application, being prophetic of the “end of the indignation” against Israel, which issued in the destruction of the nation, and also prophetic of the final judgment itself. “Certainly, there is more here than history relating to the times of Antiochus and the Maccabees."[14] Keil is apparently correct in the discernment that the primary application of this to the end time is not to the final judgment, but to the setting up of the kingdom of Christ in the First Advent of the Messiah.[15] It should also be remembered in this context that the apostle Peter designated the entire Church Age as “the last days” (Acts 2:16). Of course, this does not at all deny the existence of prophetic overtones reaching to the Final Judgment itself. “The time of the appointed end …” (Daniel 8:19). Paul declared that God had “appointed a day” in which he would judge the world (Acts 17:31). There were also other days which God appointed. He had appointed seventy years as the termination of the captivity in Babylon, a time which when Daniel was written, had just about expired. Verse 20 “The ram which thou sawest, that had the two horns, they are the kings of Media and of Persia. And the rough he-goat is the king of Greece: and the great horn that is between his eyes is the first king. And as for that which was broken, in the place whereof four stood up, four kingdoms shall stand up out of the nation, but not with his power. And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences shall stand up. And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power; and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper and do his pleasure; and he shall destroy the mighty ones and the holy people. And through his policy he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself mightily in his heart, and in their security shall he destroy many: he shall also stand up against the prince of princes; but he shall be broken without hand.““But not in his own power …” (Daniel 8:24).

Apparently God gave this evil man the power to bring punishment upon Israel. Also, the intervention of God is behind the statement that, “He shall be broken without hand …” (Daniel 8:25). He is said to have died of madness. “The defeat of Antiochus by Judas Maccabaeus might have been overcome by that evil power if he had had the money to pay his troops. Not having it, he attempted to plunder the pagan temple of Artemis at Elymais. He utterly failed, and that caused his death. Historians of those times viewed his death as caused by madness inflicted by a Divine hand."[16]“When the transgressors are come to the full …” (Daniel 8:23).

This is a reference to the transgressions of Israel. It was the climax of such sins that led to God’s permission for such an evil power as Antiochus to rise up. Verse 26 “And the vision of the evenings and the mornings which hath been told is true: but shut thou up the vision; for it belongeth to many days to come. And I, Daniel, fainted, and was sick certain days; then I rose up and did the king’s business: and I wondered at the vision, but none understood it.““Shut thou up the vision …” (Daniel 8:26). Andrews thought this meant, “Keep it secret”;[17] but we believe the better understanding of it is that of Barnes who said it meant, “Keep a record of it, that it may be preserved and that the fulfillment of it might be noted."[18]It is of very great significance that Daniel himself made no claim whatever to a full understanding of what he recorded. Even believing commentators often make the gross error of assuming that no prophet ever wrote anything that was not fully understood by the prophet himself, and that it is illogical to look for anything in the prophets that cannot be traced to the prophet’s own knowledge or experience. It would be hard to imagine an error more directly opposed to what the Word of God teaches than is the one just cited. There are examples in both the Old Testament and the New Testament in which prophets plainly declared what they did not understand. For example, on Pentecost, Peter stated that the promises of the Christian gospel were for them that “were afar off,” a plain reference to the Gentiles; yet it took a miraculous vision later to convince Peter that he should go to the home of Cornelius (a Gentile) and baptize him. In the Old Testament, there can hardly be any doubt whatever that Amos was without the foggiest notion of what God’s Words through him actually meant, when he stated that the sabbath would be gone, “When the earth is darkened in a clear sky, and the sun goes down at noon.” This error fails to recognize that it was God who spoke “through” the prophets. People who are influenced by this error should read 1 Peter 1:10-12. In that passage an apostle of Christ stripped this common error of every vestige of its validity.

Commentary On Daniel Eight by Eric HallDaniel 8With chapter 8, the book again switches to the Hebrew language. Recall that since chapter 2, Daniel’ s record had been given in Aramaic. As we mentioned earlier, the use of different languages probably has much to do with the different audiences. Perhaps the Aramaic sections had messages primarily for the Babylonians and the Hebrew sections had messages primarily for the Jews. The two languages used in Daniel casts serious doubt on the idea that the apocalyptic language in the book was used to hide its message from the hostile powers that be. On the contrary, Daniel seems to have had the opposite objective in mind. He wanted the authorities to read his book. Indeed, he went out of his way to explain visions to two of the “ hostile” kings. Although certain symbols in Chapter 8 may remind us of symbols that were used in Chapter 7, we must keep in mind one of our principles of interpretation: Similarity of language does not prove identity of subjects. While the primary subject of Chapter 7 was the fourth kingdom, the primary subject of Chapter 8 is the third kingdom. Daniel 8:1-2 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 river Ulai. This vision appeared to Daniel in the third year of Belshazzar’ s reign. If this denotes the third year of his coregency with Nabonidus, his father, then this vision would have appeared to Daniel in 550 BC. Again, we are faced with a choice. Either this book was written and these visions were received in the sixth century BC or its author was a liar. Jesus called Daniel a prophet and said that we should believe all that the prophets had written. Matthew 24:15 So when you see the desolating sacrilege spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand). Luke 24:25 And he said to them, “ O foolish men, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken!” The Bible is not a grocery store where we can take what we want and reject the rest. If the book of Daniel is not trustworthy, then none of the Bible is trustworthy. The city of Susa (or Shushan) has been identified and the palace of Xerxes was discovered there in the late 1800’ s. It is not clear whether Daniel was in Susa when he received the vision or if the setting of the vision was Susa. (Verse 16 seems to support the former view since it occurs ‘ after’ the vision.) If Daniel was in Susa then what was he doing there? Susa was the capital of Elam, which at one time was independent of both the Babylonians and the Medes. By around 550 BC, however, Elam seems to have become a province of Persia. While Persia and the Medes were rivals, the Babylonians and the Persians were friendly. However, that changed when the Persians and the Medes merged. It was then that Nabonidus began to negotiate with Lydia and Egypt, hoping to form a triple alliance.

Perhaps, Daniel was acting as an ambassador in these difficult negotiations.Problem: Daniel was apparently unknown to Belshazzar in Chapter 6, which of course occurred after the vision recorded here in Chapter 8. Belshazzar hardly seems to have had his pulse on the nation. Recall that he was engaged in a drunken feast when the city fell to the Persians. I doubt that he knew every government official in his employ. Note that Daniel was not in the city itself but was outside of the city by the river Ulai. This ‘ river’ was a wide artificial canal that connected the Choaspes River and the Coprates River. Daniel 8:3 I raised my eyes and saw, and behold, a ram standing on the bank of the river. It had two horns; and both horns were high, but one was higher than the other, and the higher one came up last. What does the ram denote? There is no doubt but that it denotes Medo-Persia. This is stated explicitly in verse 20. (See our comments about verse 20 below.) Again, one must wonder where the liberals get their idea that Daniel thought the Medes and the Persians acted as separate kingdoms in their dealings with the Babylonians. How could it be any more clear? We have one ram denoting both kingdoms. Why don’ t the liberals see this? They do see it, but they have a hidden agenda – naturalism at any cost, even when that cost is their own intellectual integrity. This ram has two horns which denote the Medes and the Persians. One horn is higher than the other. This higher horn denotes the supremacy of the Persians in their merger with the Medes. This higher horn comes up last. This is in perfect accord with history. The Medes were the dominant power until Cyrus the Great came along and brought prominence to the Persians. Daniel 8:4 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 magnified himself. This verse gives us a completely accurate picture of the Medo-Persians. The three general areas of Medo-Persian expansion were: Westward toward Lydia, Ionia, Thrace, and Macedon. Northward toward the Caspians and the Scythians. Southward to Babylon and Egypt. In these campaigns, the Medo-Persians were nearly invincible and, as pictured here, their targets were helpless against them. Medo-Persia and its king, Cyrus, became arrogant and Cyrus “ magnified himself.” The careful student of the Bible will infer from this language that Cyrus was ripe for a fall. Daniel 8:5-7 5 As I was considering, behold, a he-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 river, and he ran at him in his mighty 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 upon him; and there was no one who could rescue the ram from his power. Who is this goat from the East? Again we are left with no doubt. Verse 21 tells us explicitly that it denotes Greece. This goat with one conspicuous horn comes from the West and charges the ram with the two horns. Again, this is in perfect accord with history. Alexander the Great and the Greeks came against Persia in 334 BC from Macedonia and Greece, which were in the West. Like this goat, Alexander moved fast. The hooves of this goat did not even touch the ground. (Alexander died when he was 33, but by that time he had virtually conquered the world!) Who was this conspicuous horn? As we have suggested, it must be Alexander the Great. Daniel 8:21 tells us that this horn was the “ first king.” Alexander was the first king of the consolidated Greek empire. (Indeed, he was the one who consolidated it.) This attack by the goat against the ram appears to be unprovoked. History tells us that Alexander launched just such an attack in 334, and emerged victorious just 3 years later. One commentator wrote: Alexander’ s conquest of the entire Near and Middle East within three years stands unique in military history and is appropriately portrayed by the lightning speed of this one-horned goat. Despite the immense numerical superiority of the Persian imperial forces and their possession of military equipment like war elephants, the tactical genius of young Alexander … proved decisive. Daniel is suggesting that Alexander had a little help! He was acting out his part of a plan that God had put in place hundreds of years earlier. Recall that Josephus says that the Jews showed Alexander this very passage when he marched against their city. Alexander then spared the city out of gratitude. (We had more to say about this in our introductory comments.) Daniel 8:8 Then the he-goat magnified himself exceedingly; 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. This goat “ magnified himself.” What does that mean? It could denote Alexander’ s advances into Afghanistan and India which occurred in 327 BC. That is, he magnified his empire. More likely, it refers to Alexander’ s pretensions of divinity, which distressed his troops to the point that they mutinied and refused to advance further into India. Egyptian priests had told Alexander that he had descended from Zeus, and he took it very seriously. He required his comrades to prostrate themselves before him. Isn’ t it interesting that when God uses a man to do great things, that man often ends up thinking that he is a god himself? The progression seems to be: God did… God and I did… I did…Numbers 20:10 And Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock, and he said to them, “Hear now, you rebels; shall we bring forth water for you out of this rock?” We should remember to give God all of the glory and credit when we are allowed to do something great on his behalf. After all, how much credit do we give to Michelangelo’ s chisel? None. Which is exactly how much credit we deserve. This horn is broken at the height of its power, and in its place arise four other horns. Alexander died in 323 at the age of 33 due to a sudden fever brought on by dissipation. (The rumor was that he had in fact been poisoned by Cassander, the son of Antipater, viceroy of Macedonia.) After his death, attempts were made to hold his empire together, but they proved futile. By 311, four of his generals had claimed independence and by 301 they had it. (At one point 13 men were trying to carve out a piece of the Greek empire, but when the smoke cleared only 4 were still standing.) Ptolemy in Egypt (including Palestine) Seleucus in Babylonia Lysimachus in Thrace and Asia Minor Cassander in Macedonia and GreeceHistory tells us that the initial division of Alexander’ s kingdom was four-fold and that is what Daniel tells us as well. The difference is that Daniel told us many years before Alexander was even born! Daniel 8:8-12 9 Out of one of them came forth a little horn, which grew exceedingly great toward the south, toward the east, and toward the glorious land. 10 It grew great, even to the host of heaven; and some of the host of the stars it cast down to the ground, and trampled upon them. 11 It magnified itself, even up to the Prince of the host; and the continual burnt offering was taken away from him, and the place of his sanctuary was overthrown. 12 And the host was given over to it together with the continual burnt offering through transgression; and truth was cast down to the ground, and the horn acted and prospered. Here we have another little horn. Recall that we saw a little horn in Chapter 7 as well. That little horn was Domitian, the 11th emperor of Rome. Is this little horn also Domitian? No. The little horn in Chapter 7 came up from the fourth kingdom (Rome). The little horn here in Chapter 8 comes up from the third kingdom (Greece). Remember, similarity of language does not prove identity of subject – and this ‘ little horn’ is a perfect example. Who then is this little horn that arises out of the Greek empire? We are given a few clues here and more clues later in the chapter. Let’ s summarize the clues: He grew great toward the south, the east, and the glorious land. (verse 9) He was able to cast down some of the host of the stars and the host of heaven. (verse 10) He greatly magnified himself. (verse 11) He took away the burnt offerings. (verse 11) He overthrew the sanctuary. (verse 11) He was a king of bold countenance. (verse 23) He understood riddles (verse 23) He had great power (verse 24) He caused great destruction (verse 24) There is only one ruler who fits all of these clues. The little horn of Chapter 8 is Antiochus IV Epiphanes of the Seleucid Empire. Historical Review of Antiochus IV Epiphanes As we have seen, after the death of Alexander, Ptolemy and his successors established themselves in Egypt and at first controlled Palestine as well. The Seleucids on the other hand controlled Mesopotamia and Syria. There was constant friction between these two groups, and as was often the case, Palestine became a battlefield. In 200 BC, the Seleucids gained Palestine from the Ptolemies at the Battle of Panias. Initially the Seleucid rule was popular with the Jews. According to Josephus, Antiochus III eased the tax burden considerably. However, he soon came in conflict with Rome and after several defeats was forced to pay a large annual indemnity. This meant he had to tax the Jews more heavily, and understandably his popularity began to wane. (The conflict between taxes and popularity is hardly new!) Antiochus III was killed in 187 BC while raiding a temple treasury in Elam in order to pay off the Romans. His successor, Seleucus IV, continued this policy by plotting unsuccessfully to rob the temple treasury in Jerusalem. He was assassinated in 175 BC. As one might expect, this period gave rise to Jewish opposition and the gradual emergence of a nationalistic movement. Antiochus IV Epiphanes came to power after the death of his brother, Seleucus IV. He needed to unify his empire against the threats of Rome to the west, Parthia to the east, and Egypt to the south. He sought to accomplish this unity by fostering Hellenism; that is, by encouraging the adoption of Greek culture and ideals. He particularly identified with Zeus and took the name Epiphanes because he considered himself to be a divine personification of Zeus. Due to the Roman taxes, he was virtually penniless when he assumed the throne, so he increased taxes and continued to rob temples. Although they all disliked the taxes, the Jews were divided about Hellenism. Younger Jews were eager to adopt Greek culture and integrate it into Jewish society, but most older Jews were uncompromising traditionalists. Matters came to a head in Jerusalem when two men tried to outbribe each other in an effort to have Antiochus make them high priest. The new High Priest supported the establishment of a Greek gymnasium within sight of the temple. There, young men (including priests) studied Greek culture and took part in sports. The intertestamental book of First Maccabees contains the following description: Whereupon they built a place of exercise at Jerusalem according to the custom of the heathen. And made themselves uncircumcised, and forsook the holy covenant, and joined themselves to the heathen. Greek sports were conducted without clothing. When they author writes that they made themselves uncircumcised, he is not just speaking figuratively. Some of the Jews actually tried to reverse their circumcision with surgery. Later, the High Priest (who had obtained that position by paying Antiochus a bribe) assisted the king in plundering the temple and said nothing while Antiochus murdered citizens and nearly destroyed the city. Later, an altar to Zeus was built in the temple and sacrifices were offered on it. And this was not all, as the following excerpt from one commentary makes clear: Antiochus issued decrees forbidding the practice of Jewish religion on pain of torture and death; the Sabbath and the festivals were not to be observed and circumcision was forbidden; copies of the Torah were to be destroyed and Jews were to be forced to offer sacrifices to Zeus and eat the meat of the sacrifice. Pigs were deliberately chosen as the sacrificial animals because they were considered unclean by the Jews. One elderly priest, Mattathias, refused to sacrifice to Zeus and, with his five sons, rose up and killed the king’ s officers who were trying to force him to comply. This led to the Maccabean Revolt, which eventually gave rise to the first independent Jewish nation since before the Babylonian captivity. This nation only lasted 79 years. In 63 BC, the Romans under Pompey conquered Jerusalem and once again the Jews were under foreign domination. Now, let’ s look at those clues again. Who is the Little Horn of Chapter 8? He grew great toward the south, the east, and the glorious land. (verse 9) This accurately describes the directions of the Seleucids. The ‘ glorious land’ denotes Palestine. He was able to cast down some of the host of the stars and the host of heaven. (verse 10) This ‘ stars of heaven’ and the ‘ host of heaven’ refer to the people of God, who at this time were the Jews. This symbol may point back to the promise to Abraham in Genesis 15:5. Antiochus caused many ‘ stars of heaven’ to fall as he caused them to renounce their covenant with God. He greatly magnified himself. (verse 11) Antiochus declared himself to be the divine personification of the Greek god Zeus. He took away the burnt offerings. (verse 11) Daniel 8:11 says that “ It magnified itself, even up to the Prince of the host; and the continual burnt offering was taken away from him, and the place of his sanctuary was overthrown.”This Prince of the host is undoubtedly Jesus Christ himself, who we also saw in Chapter 7. It was from him (the Prince) that the burnt offering was taken. (The Hebrew here simply says that the daily was taken away. That is, the daily activities of the priests were stopped.) As we have seen, Antiochus did just this. He overthrew the sanctuary. (verse 11) Antiochus looted the temple and set up an altar to Zeus in the sanctuary. He was a king of bold countenance. (verse 23) Even the Roman Pompey refused to disrupt the Jewish worship, but no so with Antiochus. He definitely had a bold countenance! He understood riddles (verse 23) A better translation is that he was skilled at double dealings. Again, this was true of Antiochus. History tells us that he was extremely crafty and devious. He had great power and he caused great destruction (verse 24) This, of course, as we have seen was also true of Antiochus. In summary, Antiochus IV Epiphanes is the little horn that arose out of the Greek empire and persecuted the people of God ruthlessly. He overthrew the sanctuary and caused the daily sacrifices to end. He caused many of God’ s people to fall by causing them to renounce their covenant with God in favor of Greek culture and gods. Daniel 8:12 gives us the reason behind his success. It was through transgression. God didn’ t lack power; it was just that the people were evil. They followed him and allowed him to do what he did. Also, in verse 12 we see that he would cast the truth down to the ground. In fact, he forbid scriptural faith and service to God on pain of death. Daniel 8:13-14 13 Then I heard a holy one speaking; and another holy one said to the one that spoke, “ For how long is the vision concerning the continual burnt offering, the transgression that makes desolate, and the giving over of the sanctuary and host to be trampled under foot?” 14 And he said to him, “ For two thousand and three hundred evenings and mornings; then the sanctuary shall be restored to its rightful state.” Daniel hears a ‘ holy one’ (probably an angel) ask how long the sanctuary and the people would be trampled under foot. A second ‘ holy one’ provides the answer: The sanctuary will be restored after 2300 evenings and mornings. History tells us that the sanctuary was restored in December 164. In fact, the Jewish Hanukkah holiday celebrates this very event. This is the feast that is called the feast of the dedication in John 10:22– 23. This celebration of the rebirth of the temple was later adopted by Christians to celebrate the birth of Christ. What about the time period of 2300 mornings and evenings? Is it literal or figurative? View 1: The time period is a literal 2300 days, which would be a little over 6 years and 100 days. A problem with this view is that nothing really notable occurred 6 years and 100 days before the temple was cleansed. That is, there appears to be no terminus a quo. View 2: The time period is a literal 1150 days, which would be a little over 3 years and 50 days. (1150 days contain 1150 mornings and 1150 evenings for a grand total of 2300 mornings and evenings.) This view is appealing in that the altar to Zeus was set up in the temple about 3 years before it was cleansed. View 3: The time period refers to a figurative time period of 6 years that falls just short of a figuratively complete 7 year period.If this view is correct then a period of six years would indicate that the persecution would be temporary. Why ‘ evenings and mornings’ instead of ‘ days’ ? The removal of the ‘ daily’ sacrifices was the center of attention in this story. Daniel 8:15-17 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 upon my face. But he said to me, “ Understand, O son of man, that the vision is for the time of the end.”After the vision, Daniel sees the angel Gabriel and hears a voice asking Gabriel to explain the vision to Daniel. Daniel is the only book in the Old Testament that gives us the name of an angel. The angel tells Daniel that the vision is for the time of the end. What does he mean by this? The phrase ‘ time of the end’ is one of those phrases that requires us to examine the context very closely. Although we might be tempted to think ‘ the end’ must always refer to the end of the world, that could not be the case here. The vision very clearly ends with the cleansing of the temple after its desecration by Antiochus. Thus, the time of the end refers here to a time even before the birth of Christ. Consider the following passage where similar language is used: Habakkuk 2:2-3 And the Lord answered me: “ Write the vision; make it plain upon tablets, so he may run who reads it. 3 For still the vision awaits its time; it hastens to the end – it will not lie. If it seem slow, wait for it; it will surely come, it will not delay.” The ‘ end’ is the end of the vision. That is, it is the appointed time when the vision will be fulfilled. The key idea is that God is in charge of the timing and he will determine when the ‘ end’ occurs. The fulfillment is sure and will not occur by accident. Daniel 8:18-19 18 As he was speaking to me, I fell into a deep sleep with my face to the ground; but he touched me and set me on my feet. 19 He said, “ Behold, I will make known to you what shall be at the latter end of the indignation; for it pertains to the appointed time of the end. Daniel is so overcome that he faints, but the angel sets him on his feet again. Here we see it even more clearly. The ‘ time of the end’ in verse 17 is called the ‘ appointed time of the end’ in verse 19. It is the time that God has appointed for the events in the vision to be completed. The ‘ indignation’ in verse 19 refers to the outpouring of God’ s wrath against the enemies of his people and against sin. Daniel 8:20-22 20 As for the ram which you saw with the two horns, these are the kings of Media and Persia. 21 And the he-goat is the king of Greece; and the great horn between his eyes is the first king. 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.Here was have the explanation of the vision, which we have already discussed. Recall that the ram was Medo-Persia and the goat was Greece. As history tells us, Greece defeated Medo-Persia and then split into four pieces after the death of Alexander the Great. These four kingdoms did not arise ‘ with his power.’ That is, they were ruled by his generals and not by his sons. Daniel 8: 20 speaks of the ‘ kings of Media and Persia.’ Did Daniel believe that the Medes and the Persians were separate kingdoms when these events occurred? No. Daniel clearly sees that Media and Persia are represented by a single ram. That is, they act and do everything together. They are, as history tells us, a single entity. Why, then, does he refer to the ‘ kings’ of Media and Persia when in fact Cyrus was in charge of both? The answer is suggested by verse 21: And the he-goat is the king of Greece; and the great horn between his eyes is the first king. Verse 21 shows us that the the term ‘ king’ can also refer to ‘ kingdom’ . The goat is called the king of Greece, yet the first king is a horn on the goat. Thus, the ‘ two kings’ of Media and Persia in a single ram denote the two kingdoms of Media and Persia which merged into a single Medo-Persian empire. Daniel 8:23-25 23 And at the latter end of their rule, when the transgressors have reached their full measure, a king of bold countenance, one who understands riddles, shall arise. 24 His power shall be great, and he shall cause fearful destruction, and shall succeed in what he does, and destroy mighty men and the people of the saints. 25 By his cunning he shall make deceit prosper under his hand, and in his own mind he shall magnify himself. Without warning he shall destroy many; and he shall even rise up against the Prince of princes; but, by no human hand, he shall be broken. Here we have a description of Antiochus IV Epiphanes, who we have also already discussed. Recall that each of these items fits Antiochus precisely. In Jewish writings, he is referred to as Antiochus the Wicked. Daniel 8:23 tells us that he would arise in the latter end of their rule. Although, chronologically he ruled about midway in the timespan of the Seleucid kingdom, God’ s interest in the Seleucids ends with Antiochus IV (as we will see in Chapter 11). The kingdom began to decline with the death of his father Antiochus III. This is not unusual in the Bible. There were many Roman emperors, but as far as God was concerned there were only 11. He talks about the first 11 in Daniel and in Revelation, but says nothing about all the others that followed. God’ s interest in Rome (and in the Seleucids) seems to have ended after they were judged and sentenced. Daniel 8:25 tells us that Antiochus IV would be broken by no human hand. History tells us that after making an unsuccessful attempt to pillage a wealthy temple in Elymais, he died of a sudden mysterious illness. Daniel tells us that the illness was anything but mysterious! God removed Antiochus from the scene just like he removed Herod from the scene in Acts 12. Daniel 8:26 26 The vision of the evenings and the mornings which has been told is true; but seal up the vision, for it pertains to many days hence.” Daniel is told to seal up this vision because it pertains to many days hence. How many days hence? The vision was received in 550 BC and it was fulfilled in 164 BC. Thus ‘ many days’ refers here to a time period of 386 years. Daniel was told to seal the vision up because it dealt with events that would pertain to people who would live much later. This vision was not directly applicable to the people of his own day. In Revelation 22:10 John was given the opposite command! Revelation 22:10 And he said to me, “ Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near.” Why was John told to not seal up the words? Because the time for their fulfillment was near! This is also mentioned elsewhere in the book. Revelation 1:1 The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants what must soon take place. Revelation 1:3 the time is near. Revelation 22:6 And the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, has sent his angel to show his servants what must soon take place. Thus, Daniel was told to seal up a vision that referred to a time less than 400 years after he received it, yet John was told not to seal up his vision. Does it make sense to teach that nothing in Revelation has yet been fulfilled as so many teach today? Daniel 8:26 and Revelation 22:10 provide a very good starting point for discussing the prophecies in these two books and especially the prophecy in Revelation. Daniel 8:27 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. Daniel was appalled by the vision and was overcome for some days. Why? Because he saw what would one day happen to God’ s people. Even though it would not happen to him or to anyone he knew, still he was disturbed. This is certainly a lesson for us. We should be concerned for God’ s people everywhere and for all time. How can we show our concern for future Christians? By carefully guarding the truth that has been entrusted to us, we show our care and concern for God’ s people in the future. 1 Timothy 6:20 O Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to you. Jude 3 Beloved, being very eager to write to you of our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints. This is not just the elders’ or the ministers’ responsibility. It is everyone’ s responsibility. We neglect it at our own and our children’ s peril. Notice that even after the explanation, Daniel confesses in Daniel 8:27 that he did not fully understand the vision. (This should provide some comfort to us in our efforts to understand these visions!)

“THE BOOK OF DANIEL”

The Vision Of The Ram And The Goat (8:1-27)

1. In previous chapters we’ve seen visions describing four kingdoms… a. The vision of Nebuchadnezzar - Daniel 2b. The vision of Daniel - Daniel 7– These kingdoms were the Babylonian, the Medo-Persian, the Greek, the Roman

2. In Daniel 8, Daniel relates another vision… a. Commonly called “The Vision Of The Ram And The Goat” b. In which two kingdoms are described

[As we shall see, the two kingdoms as the same as two of the four kingdoms in earlier visions. But just as the vision in Daniel 7 related more information about the fourth kingdom, so now the vision in Daniel 8provides information about the second and third kingdoms…]

I. THE VISION (1-14) A. DATE OF THE VISION…1. Received by Daniel in the third year of Belshazzar king of Babylon - Daniel 8:12. This would be about 552 B.C., two years later than the vision in Daniel 7

B. DETAILS OF THE VISION…1. In the vision, Daniel saw himself in Shushan (Susa) - Daniel 8:2a. In the province of Elam (western Persia, modern day Iran) b. The winter capital of the Persian kings c. He was by the river Ulai 2. He saw a two-horned ram - Daniel 8:3-4a. Standing beside the river b. The horns were high, with one higher than the other which came up last c. The ram was pushing westward, northward, and southward

1. No beast could withstand him
2. None could deliver from his hand
3. He did according to his will and became great

3. He saw a one-horned male goat - Daniel 8:5a. Coming suddenly from the west b. Across the surface of the whole earth, not touching the ground c. With a notable horn between his eyes
4. He saw the goat defeat the ram - Daniel 8:6-7a. With furious power the goat attacked the ram and broke his two horns b. The ram was unable to withstand the goat, and was trampled
5. The goat become great, but when he became strong… - Daniel 8:8a. The large horn was broken b. In its place four notable ones came up toward the four winds of heaven
6. He saw a little horn come out of the four with great power

• Daniel 8:9-12a. Which grew exceedingly great

1. Toward the south and east
2. Toward the Glorious Land b. Which grew up to the host of heaven
3. Casting down and trampling to the ground some of the host
4. Exalting himself as high as the Prince of host c. By this powerful horn…
5. The daily sacrifices were taken away
6. The place of His (God’s) sanctuary was cast down
7. An army was given him to oppose the daily sacrifices (because of transgression) – He did all this and prospered

7. Daniel then heard a conversation between two holy ones - Daniel 8:13-14a. One asking: “How long will the vision be, concerning…“1) “…the daily sacrifices and the transgression of desolation…“2) “…the giving of both the sanctuary and the host to be trampled under foot?“b. The reply given to Daniel:

1. “For two thousand three hundred days"2) “Then the sanctuary shall be cleansed” [With the details before us, we are now ready to consider the explanation provided Daniel…]

II. THE VISION A. GABRIEL TO EXPLAIN THE VISION…1. Daniel was seeking to understand the meaning - Daniel 8:15-16a. When there stood before him one having the appearance of a man b. When a man’s voice from the banks of the Ulai charged Gabriel to make Daniel understand the vision 2. Gabriel speaks to Daniel - Daniel 8:17-19a. He approaches Daniel 1) Prompting Daniel to fall on his face in fear 2) Telling him that “the vision refers to the time of the end"b. He stands Daniel on his feet

1. For Daniel had fallen into a deep sleep with his face to the ground
2. To tell him “what shall happen in the latter time of the indignation; for at the appointed time the end shall be” B. GABRIEL THE VISION…1. The two-horned ram - Daniel 8:20a. Depicts the kings of Media and Persiab. The larger horn may represent Persia’s greater influence

• Daniel 8:3c. The expansion of the Medo-Persian empire illustrated by the ram pushing westward, northward, and southward - Daniel 8:42. The one-horned male goat - Daniel 8:21a. Depicts the kingdom of Greece; note that it came from the west - Daniel 8:5b. The large horn representing it’s first king (Alexander the Great) c. The speed of the goat aptly reflects Alexander’s conquests
• Daniel 8:5d. Alexander defeated the Persians in three decisive battles
• Daniel 8:6-71) At Granicus (334 B.C.)

2. At Issus (333 B.C.)
3. At Gaugamela (331 B.C.)

3. The broken horn and four horns that arose in its place - Daniel 8:22a. Alexander died at 33 years of age b. His empire was divided between his four generals - Daniel 8:81) Ptolemy (Egypt)

2. Seleucus I (Syria)
3. Cassander (Macedonia and Greece)
4. Lysimachus (Thrace and Asia Minor)

4. The little horn that became exceedingly great - Daniel 8:23-25a. Some time later a king shall arise

1. When transgressors have reached their fullness (when Israel has fallen back into sin)
2. With mighty power, but not by his own
3. Who shall destroy fearfully, prosper and thrive
4. Who shall destroy the mighty and also the holy people
5. Through cunning he shall cause deceit to prosper
6. He shall magnify himself, and destroy many in their prosperity
7. He shall even rise against the Prince of princes (i.e., God Himself)
8. But he shall be broken without human hand (God shall destroy him) b. This is most likely Antiochus Epiphanes, ruler of Syria (175-163 B.C.)
9. Who imposed Greek culture and deities upon his subjects
10. Who when he conquered Jerusalem: a) Set up an image in the temple b) Offered swine flesh upon the altar c) Encouraged Greek soldiers to commit fornication in the temple d) Forbade circumcision, keeping the Sabbath, possessing a copy of the Scriptures (Harkrider)

5. The vision of the evenings and mornings - Daniel 8:26a. The number of days the sacrifices will cease, and the temple desolated b. Maybe a literal period (a little over six years) corresponding to the actual period of time the abomination by Antiochus Epiphanes occurred (171-165 B.C.) c. Daniel instructed to seal up the vision

1. For it was to occur “many days in the future"2) I.e., almost four hundred years later

C. EFFECT ON DANIEL…1. He fainted and was sick for days - Daniel 8:272. Though he afterward arose and went about the king’s business, he was astonished by the vision (but no one understood it)

• Daniel 8:27

1. This vision is probably the easiest to understand of the four visions that Daniel saw… a. The identity of the ram and goat are clearly given b. History confirms what is described in this vision

1. The conflict between Medo-Persia and Greece
2. The division of the Grecian empire following Alexander’s death
3. The rise of Antiochus Epiphanes and his desecration of the temple in Jerusalem

2. The purpose of the vision was to prepare the people of Daniel for what was to come… a. In “the time of the end"b. In “the latter time of the indignation”– I.e., the persecution that would come upon Israel toward the end of the OT period, during the inter-testamental period (Young)

The remarkable accuracy of this vision has led some to date the book of Daniel after the events of Antiochus Epiphanes. But its accuracy poses no problem for those who accept the inspiration of the Scriptures, and should remind us of God’s power to fulfill His Word:

“Remember the former things of old, for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me,

“Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done, Saying, `My counsel shall stand, And I will do all My pleasure,'

“Calling a bird of prey from the east, the man who executes My counsel, from a far country. Indeed I have spoken it; I will also bring it to pass. I have purposed it; I will also do it.”

• Isaiah 46:9-11 “THE BOOK OF DANIEL”

Chapter Eight In the third year of King Belshazzar (550 B.C.) Daniel has another vision: a swift goat defeating a mighty ram. The goat’s large horn is then broken into four horns, followed by a little horn that brings desolation to the sanctuary and the host of heaven (Daniel 8:1-14). The angel Gabriel interprets the vision which foretells the rise of a fierce and mighty king (Antiochus IV Epiphanes, 175-164 B.C.) that would bring desolation against the holy people (Daniel 8:15-27).

POINTS TO PONDER

• The interpretation of Daniel’s vision in this chapter

• The meaning of the expression, “the time of the end”

REVIEW

1. What are the main points of this chapter?- The vision of the ram and the goat - Daniel 8:1-14- Gabriel interprets the vision - Daniel 8:15-27
2. Describe the ram and the goat in Daniel’s vision. (Daniel 8:3-8)- Ram: mighty and great, with two horns, one higher than the other

• Goat: swift, from the west, with a notable horn
• The goat tramples the ram, then grew very great
• The goat’s horn is broken into four, and out of them a little horn

3. List the actions of the little horn that arises from the four horns. (Daniel 8:9-12)- Grew great toward the south, the east, and the Glorious Land

• Grew up to the host of heaven and cast some of them and stars down
• Exalted himself as high as the Prince of the host
• Took away the daily sacrifices, cast down the sanctuary, cast truth to the ground

4. How long would the desolation against the sacrifices and sanctuary last? (Daniel 8:13-14)- For 2300 days (evening-mornings, v.26); then the sanctuary would be cleansed

5. According to Gabriel, to when did the vision pertain? (Daniel 8:15-19)- The time of the end, the latter time of the indignation, the appointed time

6. What did the ram and goat represent? (Daniel 8:20-22)- Ram: Media and Persia; Goat: Greece (Alexander and his generals)

7. How is the king who shall rise (the little horn) described? (Daniel 8:23-25)- Fierce, mighty, cunning, who will destroy the mighty and holy people

• Rising even against the Prince of princes, but will be broken without means

8. What was Daniel told to do with the vision? Why? (Daniel 8:26)- Seal up the vision; it pertained to many days in the future

Daniel 8:1

Daniel 8:1. Again the Lord gave to Daniel a prophecy, but this time it was in the form of a vision instead of a dream. It was shown to him two years after the dream of the preceding chapter. Another difference in this chapter is that, whereas the other considered the four world empires, this will be about the MedoPersian and Grecian.

Daniel 8:2

Daniel 8:2. At the time Daniel saw this vision he was on the banks of a river in the province of Elam. Shushan (sometimes spelled Susa) was one of the capitals of the MedoPersian Empire. The reason for saying one of its capitals is that after the ascendency of this world power, its rulers resided sometimes in this place and sometimes in Babylon. However, at the time of this chapter the Babylonian Empire was still in power, and the reference to the palace was because tlie province had once been a prominent territory and had its own local rulers who had their mansion here. Since Daniel hau this vision while the first of the fonr world powers was in force, it would make the events shown in the vision truly prophetical.

Daniel 8:3

Daniel 8:3. The ram In this vision was the Medo-Persian Empire, the two parts of the empire corresponding to the two horns of the beast. In symbols an event may occur that is different from the natural procedure, yet one which truly represents the actual transaction in the application. Thus we here have two circumstances that differ front the natural course of events. The horns of this ram did not giow up together, nor did they maintain the same greatness or height. That was fulfilled in the history of the two parts of the empire, the Medes and the Persians. The Medes were the older of the two groups but never did attain to the proportions of tile Persians. The historical evidence of this may be seen in the comments on Daniel 7:5.

Daniel 8:4

Daniel 8:4. The three directions mentioned are significant. A glance at the map will show the original headquarters of the Medes and Persians were in the eastcentral portion of the then civilized world. If the empire was to expand it would have to do so in these directions. It continued to do so until it grew into the proportions of a world empire. This was the second one of the four kingdoms that had been predicted by both Ezekiel and Daniel. And both of these prophets predicted that it. would he subdued and replaced by another, which brings the story up to the next event of the vision seen by Daniel.

Daniel 8:5

Daniel 8:5. Daniel was interested in the event he had just seen and wras thinking over it when another sight came before him. A he goat was selected by the Lord, that animal being rougher and stronger and better adapted to the action about to take place. The goat represented the Greek or Macedonian Empire which was the third of the world empires we have been reading about. Like the Babylonian Empire, its first king was not its greatest. The first of the Babylonian rulers was Nabopoiassar, but its greatest one was Nebuchadnezzar.

The first ruler of the Macedonian Empire was Philip of Macedon, but by far its greatest one was his son Alexander, represented by a notable horn. In symbolic literature a horn represents power and authority, and Alexander surely possessed both. Touched not the ground is figurative and refers to the swiftness of Alexander’ s march across the Persian dominions. He covered that vast territory in twelve years with very little resistance.

Daniel 8:6

Daniel 8:6. This verse refers to the furious advance of Alexander upon Persia,

Daniel 8:7

Daniel 8:7. In tills one verse the complete subjugation of Persia by Alexander was indicated by the vision. Choler means bitterness according to Strong’ s lexicon, but it does not necessarily refer to the personal character of Alexander only. The idea is that the defeat that was inflicted upon, the Persians was a bitter experience.

Daniel 8:8

Daniel 8:8. When, he was strong denotes that Alexander was at the height of his success when he died, and that event also fulfilled the rest of the prediction, the great horn teas broken. I shall quote a passage from one of the “church fathers,” otherwise called the Nicetle Library, “Again, the sons of Greece celebrate Alexander the Macedonian as the conqueror of many and diverse nations; yet we find that he was removed by an early death, before he had reached maturity, being carried off by the effects of revelry and drunkenness. His whole life embraced but the space of thirtytwo years, and his reign extended to no more than a third part of that period. Unsparing as the thunderbolt, he advanced through streams of blood and reduced entire nations and cities, young and old, to utter slavery. But when he had scarcely arrived at the maturity of life, and was lamenting the loss of youthful pleasure, death fell upon him with terrible stroke, and, that he might not longer outrage the human race, cut him off in a foreign and hostile land, childless, without successor, and homeless.

His kingdom, too, was instantty dismembered, each of his officers taking away and appropriating a portion for himself. And yet this man is extolled for such deeds as these.’ ‘— Eusebius, Life of Constantine, Book 1, Chapter 7. The four notable ones refers to the four divisions into which Alexander’s conquests fell upon his death, predicted by the four wings and four heads in chapter 7: 6.

Daniel 8:9

Daniel 8:9. In the comments at verse 1 it is stated that this chapter would be concerned with only two of the world powers. That is, all of the chapter would be about those two or some part of them, However, to avoid confusion, I think it should be explained that the four divisions into which Alexander’s conquests fell at his death, while still a part of the third world empire, will receive some special attention. It was not long until two of these divisions were absorbed by the others, leaving only two which occupy the prophecy and history until they, too, were absorbed by the growing power of the fourth world empire, the Roman, The two remaining divisions will be referred to as Syria and Egypt. The former embraced the country formerly called Syria, and most of the countries as far eastward as the Indus River, and it Included Palestine also, which will account for much of the important prophecy yet to come. The latter embraced the country of Egypt and the territory immediately surrounding it.

These two kingdoms are also referred to in history and prophecy as the “northern” and the “southern” kingdoms, and the two were almost constantly in a state of hostitity against each other. The present verse has to do with the kingdom of Syria, and especially with one of its kings who was one of the most vile and wicked men in history. Much of this chapter has to do with this man whose name was Antiochus Epiphanes, sometimes referred to by either one of the names only. He is the little horn of this verse, and is represented as becoming eager for more and more power. Hence he pushed outward to other territories and included the pleasant land which means Palestine.

Daniel 8:10

Daniel 8:10. Stars Is from KOWKAR which Strong defines, “figuratively a prince.” The words host of heaven, therefore, means the citizens of this “pleasant land,” and the stars has reference to the outstanding men among them. This wicked king had a bitter feeling against the Jews, and was disposed to do them all the harm he could.

Daniel 8:11

Daniel 8:11. The daily sacrifice was presided over by the priest, hence we know that in this passage the prince of the host refers to the priest.. The meaning of the prediction is that Epiphanes would stop the offering of the daily sacrifice, Place of the sanctuary cast down. Not only was the sacrifice to be stopped, but the altar and temple were to be desecrated. The fulfillment of prophecy is to be seen in the events of history, hence it will be appropriate for me to quote some now: “ At the same time that Antiochus, who was called Epiphanes, had a quarrel with the sixth Ptolemy [one of the kings of Egypt] about his right to the whole country of Syria, a great sedition fell among the men of power in Judea, and they had a contention about obtaining the government; while each of those that were of dignity could not endure to be suhject to their equals. However, Onias, one of the highpriests, got the better, and cast the sons of Tobias out of the city; who fled to Antiochus, and besought him to make use of them for his leaders, and to make an expedition into Judea, The king being thereto disposed beforehand. complied with them, and came upon the Jews with a great army, and took their city by force, and slew a great multitude of those that favored Ptolemy and sent out his soldiers to plunder them, without mercy.

He also spoiled the temple, and put a stop to the constant practice of offering a dally sacrifice of expiation for three years and six months. But Onias, the highpriest, fled to Ptolemy, and received a place for him in the Nomus of Heliopolis, where he built a city resembling Jerusalem, and a temple that was like its temple; concerning which we shall speak more in its proper place hereafter. “Now Antiochus was not satisfied either with his unexpected taking of fhe city, or with pillage, or with the great slaughter he had made there; but being overcome with his violent passions, and remembering what he had suffered during the siege, he compelled the Jews to dissolve the laws of the country, and to keep their infants uncircumcised, and to sacrifice swine’s flesh upon the altar; against which they all opposed themselves, and the most approved among them were put to death, Bacchides also, who was sent to keep the fortresses, having these wicked commands, joined to his own natural barbarity, indulged all sorts of the extremest wickedness, and tormented the worthiest of the inhabitants, man by man, and threatened their city every day with open destruction; till at length he provoked the poor sufferers, by the extremity of his wicked doings, to avenge themselves.” — Josephus, Wars, Book 1, Chapter 1, Sections 1, 2,

Daniel 8:12

Daniel 8:12, We might wonder why God would suffer as wicked a man as Antiochus to be so successful against His people. It was not the first time He had used evil characters as instruments by which to chastise the Jews. The last great instance was that of the king of Babylon who was empowered to take them off into eaptivity to punish them for their idolatry. But after that experience the Lord assured his people that they would never again be sent as a nation out of their own land. However, He did not tell them they never would be punished at all if they disobeyed the divine laws. And when they again became corrupt in other ways (not idolatry), He determined to punish them.

This time it was by suffering the wicked king Antiochus to interrupt their sacred practice of the daily sacrifice, and the present verse has to do with that sad affair. Host is from TSEBAAH which Strong defines. “ A mass of persons (or figuratively things), especially regularly organized for war \

Daniel 8:13

Daniel 8:13. The disgraceful condition produced about Ule temple and altar aroused the anxious Inquiry of the saint who beheld it. The verse may well be abbreviated by the words, “ How long will it be until this condition will be corrected, and the daily sacrifice be resumed according to the law?”

Daniel 8:14

Daniel 8:14. The answer was addressed to Daniel instead of the saint who had asked the question, because it had been asked in the hearing of the prophet who was to be the reporter of the scene. The number of days, 2300, Is nearly six and a half years. This includes the time the altar lay desecrated and idle, and also the period required for the war for the repossess.on of the holy institution. The war was conducted by Judas Maccabeus, a faithful and zealous Jew. The history of that war is too extensive to co.^y here, but the reader may see the information in Josephus, Antiquities, 12-7-1-6.

Daniel 8:15

Daniel 8:15. As in the vision of the preceding chapter, after the prophet had seen this one just related, he wished to know its interpretation. We do not know the identity of the person who will speak first, but he evidently was a messenger acting under divine orders, for his directions were obeyed.

Daniel 8:16

Daniel 8:16. That spokesman used the voice of a man, and Daniel heard him speak to the one who stood before the prophet, who had the appearance of a man, and bade him explain to Daniel the vision, at the same time addressing him by the name of Gabriel.

Daniel 8:17

Daniel 8:17. The appearance of this messenger from heaven filled Daniel with surprise and terror, and in rev. erence he fell face downward upon the ground. Then Gabriel made an introductory remark as to the time when the vision would be fulfilled. The time of the end could not he the end of the world, for the events predicted do not agree with that period. Neither could it mean the end of the four world empires, for there was still one more of them to come which was to exist for centuries. Hence, on the basis of elimination, the conclusion is that it refers to the end of the second one of the world powers that are pictured in the vision. That is in harmony with the facts of history, for Antiochus Epiphanes, with whom the vision concludes, appears in the historical records about 150 years B.C., and the reign of the Macedonian Empire was tapering off toward its end, to be supplanted by the Roman Empire, which waa then beginning to cast its shadow ahead.

Daniel 8:18

Daniel 8:18. The prophet was still under the effect of his prostrating surprise which had thrown him into a deep sleep. That not being the desirable condition in which to receive such an important communication, Gabriel restored him to full consciousness.

Daniel 8:19

Daniel 8:19. Last end means the same as time of the end, explained by the comments on verse 17. However, there is a more specific item added to the prediction as to the date and that is, end of the indignation. The vision ended at the final downfall and death of Antiochus, whose wicked conduct provoked the indignation of God.

Daniel 8:20

Daniel 8:20. This is fully explained at verse 3,

Daniel 8:21

Daniel 8:21. King of Grecia means the royalty in general, for a particular one of the kings will be alluded to at the erd of the verse. First king is explained at verse 5.

Daniel 8:22

Daniel 8:22. The four kingdoms is explained at verse 8. Not in his power means that the four divisions into which the conquests of Alexander fell at bis death were none of them as strong as he. This prediction and conclusion may be verified by secular history, and I shall again quote from Myers’ Ancient Ifistrry, page 286: “There was no one who could wield the sword that fell from the hands of Alexander. It is said that, when dying, being asked to whom the kingdom should belong, he replied, ’to the strongest,’ and handed his signet ring to his general Ferdiccas. But Perdic cas was not strong enough to master the difficulties of the situation. Indeed, who is strong enough to rule the world?’’

Daniel 8:23

Daniel 8:23. Their kingdom has special reference to the four divisions of Alexander’s empire, of which Syria was the most important. Near the close of that period (see the comments on “ last end’’ in verse 19) a condition was to exist described by transgressors are come to the full. This subject of transgression is treated at length by comments and quotation from history at verse 12, which includes the name and some of the traits of the king referred to in this verse. Fierce countenance is defined by Strong as meaning “harsh of face.” Dark sentences is from one original word which is chiydah, and Strong defines it, “A puzzle; hence a trick, conundrum, sententious [brief or pithy] maxim.” Shall stand up means to appear and become very prominent. Hence we understand that Antiochus Epipbanes waB a man with a hard looking face and a character equally harsh. He was an expert in matters of trickery, and would not hesitate to use it to his own advantage when the opportunity came before him.

Daniel 8:24

Daniel 8:24. Not by his own power is explained at length at verse 12. Prosper ana practice refers to the success of Antiochus in his wicked transactions. Destroy the mighty and holy people. Antiochus was to overthrow those with whom he came in contact, whether they be the strong people of the world or the good people of God.

Daniel 8:25

Daniel 8:25. Cause craft to prosper is explained under dark sentences In verse 23. Magnify hi rase If denotes he will be puffed up with a feeling of his own importance, and will plot and scheme various kinds of wickedness to gratify his egotism. Peace 1e from SHALYAH which Strong defines, “ security (genuine or false).” Antiochus would win the confidence of men by his false promises and then would destroy them. Against the Prince of princes refers to his attack upon the institutions of God as we saw in verse 11. Be broken without hand.

One word in the definition of the original for hand is “means,” and the thought is that no apparent or human means would be used to cause the ruin of Antiochus. This violent and super natural death of the wicked man is so outstanding in the annats of the times that I shaii quote from history as follows; “ When this concern about these affairs was added to the former, he [Antiochus] was confounded, and, by the anxiety he was in, fell into a distemper, which, as it lasted a great while, and his pains increased upon him, so he at length perceived he should die in a little time; so he called his friends to him, and told them that his distemper was sore upon him and confessed withal, that this calamity was sent upon him for the miseries he had brought upon the Jewish nation, while he plundered their temple and condemned their God; and when he had said this he gave up the ghost.”— Josephus, Antiquities, 1291. “On his arrival thither [Antiochus Epiphanes at Ecbatana in Media], greatly grieved for this baffle and disappointment at Elymais, news came to him of what happened to Nicanor and Timotheus in Judea; at which being exceedingly enraged, he hastened back, with ali the speed be waa able, to execute the utmost of his wrath upon the people of the Jews, breathing nothing else but threats of utter destruction and utter extirpation against them all the way as he went.

As he was thus hastening toward the country of Babylonia, through which he was to pass in his return, he met on the road other messengers, which brought him an account how the Jews had defeated Lysias, recovered the temple at Jerusalem, pulled down the images and altars which he had erected, and restored that place to its former worship; at which being enraged to the utmost fury, he commanded his charioteer to double his speed, that he might be the sooner on the place to execute his revenge upon the people, threatening, as he went, that he would make Jerusalem a place of sepulchre [burying place] tor the Jews, wherein he would bury the whole nation, destroying them all to a man. But while these proud words were in his mouth, the judgment of God overtook him; for he had no sooner spoken them but he was smitten with an incurable plague, a great pain seizing his bowels, and a grievous torment following thereupon in his inward parts, which no remedy could abate. However, he would not slacken his speed; but still continuing in the same wrath, he drove on the same haste to execute It, till at length, his chariot overthrowing, he was cast to the ground with such violence, that ho waa sorely bruised and hurt in all the members of his body; whereon he was put into a litter; but not being able to bear that, he was forced to put in at a town called Tabae, lying in the mountains of Paraetacene, in the coniines of Persia and Babylonia, and there betake himself to his bed, where he suffered horrid torments both in mind and body. For in his body a filthy ulcer broke out in his secret parts, wherein were bred an innumerable quantity of vermin continnally flowing from it; and such a stench proceeding from the same, as neither those that attended him nor he himself could well bear; and in this condition he lay languishing and rotting till he died. And all this while the torments of his mind were as great as the torments of his body, caused by the reflections which he made on his former actions, Polybius [a heathen historian] tells us of this, as well as Josephus, and the authors of the first and second books of Maccabees; and adds hereto, that it grew so far upon him as to come to a constant delirium, or state of madness, by reason of several spectres and apparitions of evil spirits, which he imagined were continually about him, reproaching and stinging his conscience with accusations of his past evil deeds which he had been guilty of. Polybius saith, this was for the sacrilegious attempt which he made upon the temple of Diana in Elymais, Overlooking that which he had actually executed upon the temple at Jerusalem.

Josephus reproves him [Polybius] for this, and with much more reason and justice, lays the whole cause of his suffering in this sickness, as did Antiochus himself, to what lie did at Jerusalem, and the temple of God in that place, and the horrid persecution which he thereon raised against, all that worshiped him there.” — Prideaux’s Connexion, year 164. God used Antiochus to chastise his own people “ by reason of transgression,” (verse 12), yet He was not willing that they should have charge of the last part of the just punishment upon the wicked king, but instead He struck him with a terrible affliction that tormented him in mind and body.

Daniel 8:26

Daniel 8:26. Evening; morning is in reference to the number of days mentioned in verse 14. The marginal rendering there is “ evening, morning.” That agrees with the expression “ evening and morning” which occurs six times in Genesis 1 in enumerating the days of creation. The things predicted in the vision were some time in the future, hence Daniel was told to shut if up or keep it a secret for the time being.

Daniel 8:27

Daniel 8:27. Daniel obeyed the instructions about keeping the vision as a secret so well that none understood it. But the tension of the whole circumstance was so great that it affected him physically for some days. He finally recovered and resumed his duties under the king which Is the meaning of did the king’ s business.