Daniel 8
Daniel Has a Vision!
Read
Dan. 8:26 “And the vision of the evenings and mornings
Which was told is true;
Therefore seal up the vision,
For it refers to many days in the future.”
Pray
Intro
√ Daniel has a vision!
God reveals to Daniel additional information about the kingdoms of Man that would dominate the people and land of the Jews.
Nebuchadnezzar’s dream in chapter 2 is an overview.
Daniel’s dream & visions fill in a lot detail about the kingdoms shown in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream.
The totality of the dreams and visions covers the time during which God disciplines His chosen people…
From
…called “the time
of the Gentiles” (Luke 21:24) and concludes with the hope of the
Messiah coming to Earth to establish the
√ The vision
Daniel’s vision in chapter 8 looks into the future and reveals additional information about the principle players in the kingdoms that God said would rule the world.
That is, God is going to show us something about the kings that will rule the kingdoms
of
This time the kingdoms are represented by animals, rather than beasts (chapter 7)…
…and the kings are represented by the horns on the animals.
√ The language
Beginning with chapter 8 through the end of the book Daniel switches back to Hebrew.
Chapters 1-2:4a ~ Hebrew
Chapters 2:4b-7:28 ~ Aramaic
Chapters 8-12 ~ Hebrew
The reason is that chapters 2-7 reveal God’s plan for the Gentile nations that would rule the world during the “time of the Gentiles”.
Fitting then that Daniel chose to write in the Gentile language of the day.
Chapters 1 and 8-12 emphasize
Makes sense that Daniel would then write in Hebrew, the language of God’s Covenant People.
So, beginning with chapter 8 Daniel resumes using Hebrew.
When and where (vs. 1-2)
Dan. 8:1 In the third year of the reign of King Belshazzar a vision appeared to me—to me, Daniel—after the one that appeared to me the first time.
Dan. 8:2 I saw
in the vision, and it so happened while I was looking, that I was in Shushan,
the citadel, which is in the
√ When and where
Vs. 1 tells us when…
“In the third year of Belshazzar king of
…or, 551 B.C., about 12 years before the events recorded in chapter 6, 2 years after the dream of chapter 7.
Vs. 2 tells us where Daniel was…
“…in Shushan” (the sister city of “Shoe shine”?)
Some of your Bibles may use the alternate name “
One of the Persian Royal Palaces located about 200 miles
east of
Notice that Daniel wasn’t actually there, rather, in his vision was able to see the city and palace as if he were there!
√ Prophetic
Here’s the cool part…
…there wasn’t
a
It wouldn’t be build for another 100 years!
Built by Xerxes the Persian king.
It was in this palace that the events of Esther’s story takes place, and the palace where Nehemiah served as a cupbearer to king Artaxerxes!
Revealing once again the uniqueness of the Bible in that it is the only religious book that contains prophetic truth…
…that then actually comes to pass!
Ap. Confidence in God’s Word
Fulfilled prophecy gives us a firm foundation to build our faith and to hope for the future promises that God has made to those who like Daniel place their trust in Him!
The Medo-Persian Empire (vs. 3-4)
Dan. 8:3 Then I lifted my eyes and saw, and there, standing beside the river, was a ram which had two horns, and the two horns were high; but one was higher than the other, and the higher one came up last.
Dan. 8:4 I saw the ram pushing westward, northward, and southward, so that no animal could withstand him; nor was there any that could deliver from his hand, but he did according to his will and became great.
√ The Medo-Persian Empire
The first animal that Daniel sees is a Ram with two horns. The Ram is the Medo-Persian Empire and the horns are the kings of Media and
How can we be sure? Because God gives us the interpretation of the vision!
Note vs. 20…
Dan. 8:20 The ram
which you saw, having the two horns—they are the kings of Media and
He tells us that one of the horns grows to be bigger than the other.
Symbolic of the fact that Persian kings came to hold greater authority in the shared kingdom (like the Bear of chapter 7 that rises up on one shoulder).
The Ram advances to the west, north and south, signifying the kingdoms that would be conquered by the Medo-Persians.
All of this was fulfilled exactly as Daniel saw it!
The
Dan. 8:5 And as I was considering, suddenly a male goat came from the west, across the surface of the whole earth, without touching the ground; and the goat had a notable horn between his eyes.
Dan. 8:6 Then he came to the ram that had two horns, which I had seen standing beside the river, and ran at him with furious power.
Dan. 8:7 And I saw him confronting the ram; he was moved with rage against him, attacked the ram, and broke his two horns. There was no power in the ram to withstand him, but he cast him down to the ground and trampled him; and there was no one that could deliver the ram from his hand.
Dan. 8:8 Therefore the male goat grew very great; but when he became strong, the large horn was broken, and in place of it four notable ones came up toward the four winds of heaven.
√ The
The next animal that Daniel sees is a male goat with one single “notable” horn in the middle of his forehead!
The Goat is
How can we be sure? Because God gives us the interpretation of the vision!
Note vs. 21…
Dan. 8:21 And the
male goat is the
He also gives us some interesting insight into the nature of Alexander, his early death, and what would happen to his kingdom!
Note vs. 5…
“…suddenly a male goat came from the west, across the surface of the whole earth, without touching the ground; and the goat had a notable horn between his eyes.”
Daniel tells us that the kingdom that would conquer the Medo-Persians would come from the West!
Check your maps ~
Unique because up to this time the land of the Middle East,
specifically
This marks the first conquest of the Middle East by a nation
from the West ~
That nation,
Daniel tells us that the male goat moved with super natural-like ability ~ not even touching the ground!
Symbolic of the speed with which Alexander took the ancient world ~ only 4 years to take all of the Medo-Persian Empire.
The goat had a “notable” horn (that would be “rack” for all you hunters!)
Speaks of the great power and authority that Alexander possessed.
Also speaks of his military genius ~ he developed military strategies that are still studied today!
He is still called “the
Great” and one of the few ancient kings that is recognized by the
general populace (ex. most people couldn’t tell you the name of the 1st
Caesar, or the first king of
The goat was mad!
“And I saw him confronting the ram; he was moved with rage against him…” ~ vs. 7
Many scholars believe that Alexander blamed the assassination of his father Philip on Darius III, the king of the Medo-Persian Empire ~ hence his rage against Darius.
Not the same Darius mentioned in Daniel ~ this one was conquered by Alexander in 331 B.C. a couple hundred years after Daniel.
Others suggest that he was angered by the defeat of the Greek by the Persians at the Battle of Marathon (490 B.C.) and the at the Battle of Salamis (481 B.C.)
Regardless of which offence, the point is that Alexander had a grudge and was out to settle it!
But, as great as Alexander was, Daniel is told that he won’t live long!
Dan. 8:8 Therefore the male goat grew very great; but when he became strong, the large horn was broken, and in place of it four notable ones came up toward the four winds of heaven. “
Alexander died at 32 years of age after what some say was his birthday party.
He did not have a son by a Greek wife so his generals divided his kingdom amongst themselves.
How many? Four, just like Daniel’s vision said there would be!
The 4 horns represent the 4 generals who divided Alexander’s kingdom after his death…
Seleucus ~
Ptolemy ~
Lysimacus ~
Cassander ~
…and ruled 4 smaller kingdoms.
How do we know? Because we’re given the interpretation in vs. 22…
Dan. 8:22 As for the broken horn and the four that stood up in its place, four kingdoms shall arise out of that nation, but not with its power.
All of this was fulfilled exactly as Daniel saw it!
The Seleucid Dynasty (vs. 9-12)
Dan. 8:9 And out
of one of them came a little horn
which grew exceedingly great toward the south, toward the east, and toward the
Dan. 8:10 And it grew up to the host of heaven; and it cast down some of the host and some of the stars to the ground, and trampled them.
Dan. 8:11 He even exalted himself as high as the Prince of the host; and by him the daily sacrifices were taken away, and the place of His sanctuary was cast down.
Dan. 8:12 Because of transgression, an army was given over to the horn to oppose the daily sacrifices; and he cast truth down to the ground. He did all this and prospered.
√ The Seleucid Dynasty
The next king revealed to Daniel is represented by a little horn, not an animal.
That is, rather than introduce us to a new world ruling kingdom…
…the Lord shows Daniel that the next king would arise out of what was the
That is, this next king wouldn’t arise from a unique kingdom, but would arise out of one of the kingdoms that we’ve already been introduced to (the male goat).
We’re told that he will attack the kingdoms to the south,
the east, and the “
That he would persecute the “host of heaven”.
Exalt himself above the “Prince of the Host”.
Remove the daily sacrifices in the
Desecrate the
We’ll save the details of the interpretation for verses 23-26, but for now we’ll just note that this future king rises out of part of Alexander’s kingdom…
…known as the Seleucid
Dynasty, the descendants of Alexander’s general Seleucus who ruled the
area of
Ap. Duel fulfillment
Part of what makes this portion of scripture, along with verses 23-26 somewhat difficult is that there is a duel fulfillment to the prophecy.
As you read the description of this future king you can already see strong parallels to the Antichrist…
…the last world ruling king.
That would mean the first “little horn” would be a type and fore shadow of the future Antichrist.
How long!? (vs. 13-14)
Dan. 8:13 Then I heard a holy one speaking; and another holy one said to that certain one who was speaking, “How long will the vision be, concerning the daily sacrifices and the transgression of desolation, the giving of both the sanctuary and the host to be trampled underfoot?”
Dan. 8:14 And he said to me, “For two thousand three hundred days; then the sanctuary shall be cleansed.”
√ How long!?
Daniel overhears two angels talking about the vision that he just saw.
Specifically the one Angel wants to know how long the sacrifices will be
prohibited and the
The answer…
“For two thousand three hundred days; then the sanctuary shall be cleansed.” ~ vs. 14
How long!? The word “days” literally means…
“mornings & evenings”
So, Bible students argue about whether Daniel meant 2,300 days…
…or 1,150 days (two sacrifices per day)!
Doesn’t really matter because both work!
If you count the days from when the “little horn” first
invaded
…it’s 2,300 days.
If you count the days from the time he put an end to the
sacrifices in the
…it’s 1,150 days!
The Angel Gabriel (vs. 15-19)
Dan. 8:15 Then it happened, when I, Daniel, had seen the vision and was seeking the meaning, that suddenly there stood before me one having the appearance of a man.
Dan. 8:16 And I heard a man’s voice between the banks of the Ulai, who called, and said, “Gabriel, make this man understand the vision.”
Dan. 8:17 So he came near where I stood, and when he came I was afraid and fell on my face; but he said to me, “Understand, son of man, that the vision refers to the time of the end.”
Dan. 8:18 Now, as he was speaking with me, I was in a deep sleep with my face to the ground; but he touched me, and stood me upright.
Dan. 8:19 And he said, “Look, I am making known to you what shall happen in the latter time of the indignation; for at the appointed time the end shall be.
√ The Angel Gabriel
Once again we find that Daniel the “interpreter” needs help with the interpretation!
So, God sends one of His top Angels to explain the vision to Daniel.
Gabriel is one of three Angels named in the Bible, and often called “Arch Angels”. The three are…
Michael ~ the leader of heavens armies
Lucifer ~ the ex-worship leader of heaven
Gabriel ~ the messenger of heaven
Gabriel show up in a number of places in the Bible and is always found bringing a message from God to people.
Ex. Gabriel is the one who brought the news of Jesus’ conception to Mary, and spoke to Zachariah about John’s birth (ref. Luke 1)
√ The timing of the vision’s fulfillment
Gabriel tells Daniel…
“Understand, son of man, that the vision refers to the time of the end.” ~ vs. 17
“Look, I am making known to you what shall happen in the latter time of the indignation; for at the appointed time the end shall be.”! vs. 19
Another clue that there is a duel fulfillment of this part of the vision regarding the guy called the “little horn”.
The interpretation (vs. 20-27)
Dan. 8:20 The ram
which you saw, having the two horns—they are the kings of Media and
Dan. 8:21 And the
male goat is the
Dan. 8:22 As for the broken horn and the four that stood up in its place, four kingdoms shall arise out of that nation, but not with its power.
√ The main players
We’ve already identified these kingdoms and these kings. What follows are the details concerning the next king…
…represented by the “little horn”.
Dan. 8:23 “And in the latter time of their kingdom,
When the transgressors have reached their fullness,
A king shall arise,
Having fierce features,
Who understands sinister schemes.
Dan. 8:24 His power shall be mighty, but not by his own power;
He shall destroy fearfully,
And shall prosper and thrive;
He shall destroy the mighty, and also the holy people.
Dan. 8:25 “Through his cunning
He shall cause deceit to prosper under his rule;
And he shall exalt himself in his heart.
He shall destroy many in their prosperity.
He shall even rise against the Prince of princes;
But he shall be broken without human means.
Dan. 8:26 “And the vision of the evenings and mornings
Which was told is true;
Therefore seal up the vision,
For it refers to many days in the future.”
Dan. 8:27 And I, Daniel, fainted and was sick for days; afterward I arose and went about the king’s business. I was astonished by the vision, but no one understood it.
√ The interpretation
Keep in mind that there are two kings in view here…
…one in the immediate future (a few hundred years after Daniel) and one in the far distant future (at the end of the age).
What’s so fascinating and instructive is how similar the two kings are in behavior and attitude!
As we look at the near fulfillment in the first king’s life we gain insight into what the last king, the Antichrist will do and act like!
√ The 1st king
Antiochus IV who added the name “Epiphanies” to his title when he took the throne. Epiphanies means…
“Shining One”, or “Illustrious One”
…a popular title that implied that the king was to be worshipped as a god.
The Jews had a different name for him, they called him Antiochus “Epimanes” which means…
“Madman”
Their reasoning was that no rational man would do what he did!
As Gabriel tells us he would…
Gain power by “cunning and deceit” ~ he took the throne by orchestrating the murder of his own brother!
Persecute the “holy people” ~ on his way home from invading
“Take away the daily sacrifices” ~ he forbade the Jews to practice the Mosaic Law and forced them to eat pork or die!
“Desecrate the
He then set up an idol of a Greek god in the Holy of Holies.
“Magnify himself in his heart” ~ he thought of himself as a god.
“be broken, without human hand” ~ he died insane!
I’d suggest that “Epimanes” (“Madman”) is a more appropriate name for Antiochus!
Ex. The 2,300 missing sacrifices
If you count the time from the day that Antiochus stopped
the morning and evening sacrifices, until the cleansing of the
…it’s 1,150 days (2,300 missing sacrifices)!
Ap. Hanukah ~ the
Festival of Lights (AKA “Dedication”) initiated after the
While not a Biblically mandated holiday, none the less, Jesus took advantage of it to introduce Himself to the Jewish people as their promised Messiah!
John 10:22 Now it
was the Feast of Dedication in
It was then, in the
“I and My Father are One” ~ John 10:30
In the future Jesus will return to the rebuilt
√ The Last king
Daniel’s vision and the interpretation by Gabriel find their final fulfillment in the person of the Antichrist!
You’ll note a few hints within the interpretation that make it clear that we’re talking about the Antichrist…
…and not Antiochus.
The Antichrist, not Antiochus…
1) Will rise in the Last Days ~ vs. 23
“…the latter times when the transgressors have reached their fullness.”
2) Will be controlled by another (Satan) ~ vs. 24 & Rev.
13
3) He will fight against Jesus “Prince of princes” ~ vs. 25
& Rev. 17:14 & Rev. 19:19
Additionally, we can look at what Antiochus did as a foreshadowing of what the Antichrist will do when he comes to power…
1) He will rise to power by subduing others ~ vs. 24 & 7:8 & Rev. 17:13
2) He will be a master of deceit ~ vs. 24 & 2 Thess. 2:9
3) He
will persecute
Rev. 12:13-17
4) He
will desecrate the
& 2 Thess. 2:4
5) His rule will be terminated by divine judgment ~ vs. 25
& 2 Thess. 2:8 & Rev. 19:17-21
So, while I don’t believe that the Church will be around to see the rise and fall of the Antichrist…
…we can get a good idea of what he will be like and how he will operate based upon Daniel’s vision and how Antiochus foreshadowed the Antichrist.
Ap. Some would say that Daniel’s vision has only one fulfillment
That is, there are some who claim that Daniel’s vision applies only to Antiochus and that the prophecy has long ago been fulfilled.
However, Jesus applied Daniel’s prophetic word to the future…
Matt. 24:15 “Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place” (whoever reads, let him understand),
A direct reference to Daniel 9:27, and a parallel to Daniel 8.
Paul also spoke of the coming Antichrist and his desecration
of the
2Th. 2:3 Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition,
2Th. 2:4 who
opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped,
so that he sits as God in the
So, as with many of the prophecies of the Bible there is both a near and a far fulfillment!
Close
√ Be wise!
Gabriel told Daniel that the vision was true!
Dan. 8:26 “And the vision of the evenings and mornings
Which was told is true;
Therefore seal up the vision,
For it refers to many days in the future.”
While many folks today doubt the validity of the Bible, we’ve seen that what God revealed to Daniel of the ancient world all came to pass just as He said it would.
So, we can be confident in the future predictions of the Bible and in the promises that God has made to those who love Him!