September 9, 2025 • 34 mins
Step into the realm of prophetic mystery as we unpack Daniel's remarkable vision of the ram and goat in Daniel chapter 8—a revelation that simultaneously predicted ancient history with stunning accuracy while pointing toward the end of days.
What makes this chapter extraordinary is its precision in forecasting events that would unfold centuries after Daniel's lifetime. The ram with two uneven horns perfectly symbolized the coming Medo-Persian Empire, while the swift goat represented Alexander the Great's Greek conquest. When Alexander suddenly died at the height of his power, his empire divided among four generals—precisely as Daniel foresaw through the imagery of the broken horn replaced by four others.
But this vision transcends mere historical prediction. From one of these divisions emerged a "Little Horn", Antiochus IV Epiphanes, who brutally attacked Jerusalem in 171 BC, slaughtering tens of thousands, desecrating the temple, and declaring himself divine. The angel Gabriel repeatedly emphasizes to Daniel that this vision points beyond Antiochus to "the time of the end"—revealing that Antiochus serves as a prophetic template for understanding the future Antichrist.
The parallels are striking: both figures rise through deception, possess supernatural empowerment, exalt themselves as divine, persecute God's people, and set up an abomination that causes desolation in the temple of God. Both are ultimately destroyed not by human power but by divine intervention. Daniel's physical illness after receiving this vision suggests he glimpsed not just the horror of what would happen under Antiochus, but the greater terror awaiting the world in the last days.
Whether you're fascinated by ancient history, biblical prophecy, or understanding the patterns that connect past and future, this exploration of Daniel 8 offers profound insights into how God reveals his sovereignty over human kingdoms and the ultimate triumph found in Christ Jesus. Listen now to discover how this ancient vision continues to illuminate our understanding of both history and prophecy.
Email: nathan@nathandietsche.com
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Speaker 1 (00:15):
Grace and peace to you from God, our Father and our
Lord and Savior, jesus Christ.
Thank you for joining me thisweek for Daniel, chapter 8,
where Daniel receives his secondvision of a ram and a goat.
Beginning at verse 1, we readIn the third year of the reign
(00:37):
of King Belshazzar, a visionappeared to me, daniel, after
that which appeared to me at thefirst, here in our first verse,
we learn that two years afterGod had revealed the first
vision of the four beasts toDaniel, he receives a second
vision.
Daniel would now be about 69years old, verse 2.
(01:02):
And I saw in the vision.
And when I saw, I was in Susa,the citadel which is in the
province of Elam.
And I saw in the vision and Iwas in the Uli Canal.
I raised my eyes and saw, andbehold, ulai Canal.
(01:23):
I raised my eyes and saw, andbehold, a ram standing on the
bank of the canal.
It had two horns and both hornswere high, but one was higher
than the other and the higherone came up after the last.
I saw the ram charging westwardand northward and southward.
No beast could stand before himand there was no one who could
(01:44):
rescue from his power.
He did as he pleased and becamegreat.
In verses 2, 3, and 4, danieldescribes to us how, in his
vision, he sees himself in Susa.
Susa is a major city in Persiaand it would eventually become
(02:06):
the capital city of theMedo-Persian Empire.
Many years later, after Danielhad this vision, daniel also
tells us he finds himself at theUlai Canal.
The Ulai River was the name ofa river which ran next to the
city Susa, on its east side.
The canal itself would havelikely been a man-made waterway
(02:29):
that allowed water to flowthrough the city.
And as Daniel is standing onthe banks of this canal, in the
city that will one day be theMedo-Persian capital, he sees a
ram with two horns, one beinghigher than the other.
Now, this ram with two hornsrepresents the Medo-Persian
(02:52):
empire, and we will be told thatspecifically later in verse 20.
And then Daniel tells us thatone of these horns was higher
than the other, and the reasonfor this is because the Persian
side of the alliance wasstronger than the Mede.
We're also told that the higherhorn came up last, and this is
(03:12):
because Cyrus, the Persianemperor, didn't take control of
the empire at first and insteadallowed Darius the Mede, his
father-in-law, to rule.
For the first two years, therewas no beast that was able to
stand before this ram, and thisis a very good description of
the Medo-Persian empire, how itconquered as it pleased.
(03:35):
After the Medo-Persian empireconquered Lydia or Asia Minor in
548 BC, they conquered theBabylonian Empire in 538 BC and
eventually went on to conquerEgypt in 525 BC.
Picking up in verse 5, as I wasconsidering, behold, a male goat
(03:57):
came from the west across theface of the whole earth without
even touching the ground, andthe goat had a conspicuous horn
between its eyes.
He came to the ram with the twohorns, which I had seen
standing on the bank of thecanal, and he ran at him with
(04:18):
his powerful wrath.
I saw him come close to the ramand he was enraged against him
and struck the ram and broke histwo horns, and the ram had no
power to stand before him, buthe cast him down to the ground
and trampled on him and therewas no one who could rescue the
ram from his power.
In verses 5 through 7, danielsees in his vision a male goat
(04:46):
that's coming from the westacross the whole face of the
earth.
This male goat is later definedin verse 21 as the Greek Empire
, and therefore it follows thatthe conspicuous horn is
Alexander the Great.
Alexander the Great founded theGreek Empire with his campaign
(05:07):
of war and he had a reputationthat was world-renowned.
Alexander the Great was such agreat and mighty conqueror that
many people perceived him to bea god, and Daniel tells us that
this goat comes from the west,across the whole face of the
earth without even touching theground.
(05:27):
The speed with which Alexanderthe Great conquered the world
was astounding.
From the spring of 335 BC, whenAlexander began to make war,
until the end of his death in324 BC at age 33, it was only 11
years.
And after conquering theMedo-Persian Empire in 330 BC,
(05:52):
alexander's Greek Empire lastedonly six years.
Greek Empire lasted only sixyears.
When Alexander the Great ramsinto the Medo-Persian Empire is
at the river Granicus,appropriately called the Battle
of Granicus.
It was at the top of what wenow know as modern-day Turkey,
(06:13):
or then Asia Minor.
Within a year, alexander theGreat had engaged Darius III in
what would become the turningpoint battle against the
Medo-Persian Empire.
At the Battle of Issus, it wasrecorded by a captain of
Alexander's army that, inpursuit of Darius, the squadron
(06:34):
marched over the slaughteredbodies of the enemies.
Alexander the Great wouldpursue Darius III across the
whole Medo-Persian Empire untilfinally, in 330 BC, darius would
be betrayed and killed by oneof his own satraps as Alexander
the Great was closing in on him,picking up in verse 8,.
(06:57):
Then the goat becameexceedingly great, but when he
was strong, the great horn wasbroken and instead of it there
came up four conspicuous hornstowards the four winds of heaven
.
Verse 8 describes how the Greekempire of Alexander the Great
was an exceedingly great empire.
(07:19):
It was the largest empire everon earth up to its time.
But we see that the great hornwas broken.
Alexander the Great's life wasone of great conquests, but also
great tragedy.
After he had amassed hisenormous empire, in the last
year of his life he retired inBabylon at age 33 and began
(07:43):
living a life of indulgence anddrunkenness.
He passed away that same yearafter a long battle with a fever
.
It's thought he probably diedfrom complications with the
typhoid fever.
The men of his court left himlaying on his throne for days
after he was dead as theysettled matters of state.
(08:05):
Thus ended the life ofAlexander the Great.
After Alexander's death, fourconspicuous horns are said to
come up, and these areAlexander's four generals that
replaced him after his death.
They would divide the kingdomamong themselves.
These four generals wereCassander, lysimachus, seleucus
(08:30):
and Ptolemy, picking up in verse9, 9.
Out of one of them came alittle horn which grew
exceedingly great towards thesouth, towards the east and
towards the glorious land.
It grew great even towards thehost of heaven and some of the
host and some of the stars.
(08:51):
It threw down to the ground andit trampled on them.
In verses 9 and 10, we learnabout a little horn.
This reference to the littlehorn can be confusing, at first
because we had just read back inchapter 7 of another little
horn and now we find this littlehorn mentioned again here in
(09:11):
chapter 8.
And often the reason forconfusion is because this little
horn in Daniel, chapter 8represents what we often refer
to as a double prophecy inscripture.
Now, a double prophecyprophesies events that will both
take place in the near future,as well as pointing to events
(09:36):
that will happen in the distantfuture, as pointing to events
that will happen in the distantfuture.
Another way to consider this isin theology when one event in
history is an example of anotherevent, we call it a typology,
and a double prophecy can oftenbe a form of typology where the
(09:56):
prophecy in the near future willrepresent the prophecy of a
distant future.
In this case, this image of thelittle horn prophetically
points to a leader that willarise in the not-so-distant
future.
However, the leader that thislittle horn points to is a
(10:19):
typology of the Antichrist thatwill arise at the end times of
the earth.
So who is this little horn inthe near future?
This little horn was AntiochusIV.
He was a Greek king who ruledover Syria and Babylon.
(10:40):
The Syrians would call himAntiochus Epiphanes, which means
Antiochus the Illustrious,because to them he appeared very
brave.
However, the Greek historianPolybius thought he should more
appropriately be calledAntiochus Epimenides, which
(11:00):
means the madman, becauseAntiochus was known for his wild
and destructive behavior.
Antiochus IV's campaign of waris most noted for his conquest
of Egypt to the south and hisvicious attack on the Temple of
Jerusalem or the Glorious Land.
(11:21):
However, he did continue hiscampaign eastward into Media.
Our focus today willparticularly focus on how
Antiochus attacked the gloriousland.
When Antiochus had captured thecity of Jerusalem, he ordered
soldiers to kill anyone andeveryone they met, and cruelly
(11:41):
they did kill everyone,regardless of their age or sex.
Within three days, 80,000 menwere missing, 40,000 of them
were killed and the rest soldinto slavery.
Picking up in verse 11.
It became great, even as greatas the prince of the host and
(12:03):
the regular burnt offering wastaken away from him and the
place of his sanctuary wasoverthrown and a host will be
given over to it together withthe burnt offering because of
transgression, and it will throwtruth to the ground and it will
act and prosper.
In verses 11 and 12, we see howAntiochus IV had such great
(12:29):
contempt for the God of heavenand he made himself out to be
the judge, jury and executionerof God and his people.
Josephus once wrote Zacchaeushad captured the city, he
(12:51):
sacrificed swine on the altarand with the broth of its flesh
he sprinkled the temple.
We'll discuss Antiochus' attackon Jerusalem and the temple
more when Gabriel interprets thevision, picking up in verse 13,
.
Then I heard a holy one speakingand another holy one said to
the one who spoke For how longis the vision concerning the
(13:11):
regular burnt offering, thetransgression that makes
desolate, and the giving over ofthe sanctuary and the host to
be trampled underfoot?
And he said to me Fortwenty-three hundred evenings
and mornings, then the sanctuaryshall be restored to its
(13:32):
rightful state.
In verses 13 and 14, danielspeaks of how he heard a holy
one speaking.
The use of that phrase, a holyone, is speaking of angels here.
In Daniel's vision, he heard anangel ask a question and the
(13:53):
question was answered by anotherangel.
This is an interestingconversation between two angels
and it would imply from theconversation that some angels
are given specific tasks andauthority by God, and in this
case, one of these angels knowsthe length of judgment that's
going to be against the Jewishpeople and their temple.
We're also told by Daniel inverse 13 that the sanctuary is
(14:17):
given over and the hosts are tobe trampled underfoot, and
that's precisely what we'vedescribed, with Antiochus coming
into Jerusalem, killing everyJew he could find and then
desecrating the temple.
This prophecy in Daniel,chapter 8, describes this
Antiochus, a Greek ruler thatwould arise from this Greek
(14:39):
empire, and he would cause theofferings to cease at the temple
.
He would overthrow thesanctuary with this
transgression that makes itdesolate.
And while what Antiochus doescertainly qualifies as an
abomination that causesdesolation, when Jesus speaks of
(15:00):
Daniel's prophecies, of theabomination that causes
desolation in Matthew, mark andLuke, he speaks of them as
future prophecies.
Therefore, what AntiochusEpiphanes did here in 171 BC to
the temple of God is aforeshadow, a foreshadow of a
(15:23):
future little horn who is to bethe Antichrist.
We should expect the futureAntichrist to look similar, but
to even exceed the arrogance,the blasphemy and the hatred of
Antiochus Epiphanes.
The prophecy of the 2300evenings and mornings is an
(15:45):
exact number of days that theoppression would continue over
the Jewish people and,specifically, the integrity of
the temple.
This oppression began from thetime Menelaus, one of their
false high priests, began toviolate the temple by stealing
the golden vessels from thetemple on September 6th 171 BC,
(16:09):
until December 25th 165 BC, whenJudas Maccabee would
reinstitute the burnt offeringsafter having repaired the holy
place and the holy of holies,and that would include having
made new vessels, bringing inthe lampstand and bringing in
the altar of incense and thetable of showbread, all prepared
(16:29):
and in working order.
The reinstitution of the burntofferings at the temple by Judas
Maccabee is an event stillcelebrated today by the Jewish
people at the Feast of Lights,otherwise known as Hanukkah
Picking up in verse 15,otherwise known as Hanukkah
Picking up in verse 15.
When I, daniel, had seen thevision, I sought to understand
(16:53):
it and behold, there stoodbefore me one having the
appearance of a man, and I hearda man's voice between the banks
of the Uli, and it calledGabriel make this man understand
the vision.
In verses 15 and 16, daniel isstill in this vision from God
(17:19):
and he still sees himselfstanding at the canal of the
river Ulai and suddenly he seessomeone who looks like a man.
And suddenly a voice comes fromout of nowhere, or, as Daniel
says, between the banks of theriver, as it were.
And this voice from between thebanks of the river commands
Gabriel to make Danielunderstand the vision Picking up
(17:41):
in verse 17,.
So he came near where I stoodand when he came I was
frightened and fell on my face.
But he said to me Understand, oson of man, that the vision is
for the time of the end.
And when he had spoken to me, Ifell into a deep sleep with my
(18:03):
face to the ground.
But he touched me and made mestand up.
He said Behold, I will makeknown to you what shall be at
the later end of the indignation, for it refers to the appointed
time of the end.
In verses 17 through 19, we seeDaniel's first interactions with
(18:26):
the angel Gabriel.
And when Gabriel comes close toDaniel, daniel is so
overwhelmed by the holiness ofthis angel, he becomes afraid
and we're told that he falls tothe ground face first.
Now, after seeing the holinessof an angel or the glory of God,
(18:47):
it's not uncommon in scriptureto become so afraid that you
lose control of your extremitiesand fall down as if you were
dead.
And that seems to be whathappens to Daniel.
And as Daniel falls to theground, gabriel tells him this
vision is for the time of theend.
Now, this Hebrew phrase, thetime of the end, carries with it
(19:12):
the tone of the last days ofthe earth.
At first, this phrase seemsquite out of place, especially
because Gabriel is about todescribe events that we know
historically took place between335 and 165 BC.
However, as we continue to readchapter 8, we begin to realize
(19:35):
more and more how these eventspoint to a bigger picture and
how this is truly a doubleprophecy.
The major character.
This is truly a double prophecy.
The major character, the littlehorn, and the major event, the
transgression that makesdesolate, are a typology of the
Antichrist to come in the endtimes.
(19:56):
And since Gabriel will soondefine the characters of this
vision to Daniel.
It's easy for us to look backwith hindsight and put this
vision together with thehistorical events that took
place.
However, while this vision andits interpretation do describe
(20:16):
historical events that will takeplace between 200 and 400 years
after the time of the vision,they are indeed events, as
Gabriel says, point to the timeof the end.
And when Gabriel tells Danielthis, daniel falls into a deep
(20:36):
sleep.
Even in his visionary state,daniel is so shaken after
falling to the ground andGabriel telling him that this is
about the times of the end thathe goes unconscious.
And then Gabriel wakes Danielup by touching him and he makes
him stand up and listen to therest of this interpretation.
(20:58):
After having Daniel stand up tolisten, gabriel reinforces that
this vision is about the end ofindignation.
Now this phrase also refers tothe end times, but it could be
translated the end of the curseor the time of wrath.
(21:20):
Gabriel then tells Daniel athird time that this is about
the appointed time of the end.
Old Testament prophets wouldalso refer to the appointed time
of the end as the time ofJacob's trouble or the day of
the Lord.
What Gabriel is telling Danielhere over and over again is that
(21:43):
this vision relates to the lastdays of the earth, the days
when God will pour out his wrathon the wicked and all those who
oppose God and God's people.
Picking up in verse 20, as forthe ram that you saw with two
horns, these are the kings ofMedia and Persia, and the goat
(22:07):
is the king of Greece, and thegreat horn between its eyes is
the first king.
As for the horn that was broken, in the place of which four
others arose, four kingdomsshall arise from his nation,
(22:29):
arise from his nation, but notwith his power.
So in verses 20 through 22, theangel Gabriel goes into
specifics.
After telling Daniel that thisvision is about the end times,
gabriel speaks of nations andevents that are going to happen
two to four hundred years afterthis vision, and while this
certainly can seem confusing atfirst, it's describing to us
today, the reader, how this isindeed a double prophecy and how
(22:53):
the initial prophecy is atypology of an end times
prophecy.
Here Gabriel begins tointerpret specifically which
earthly kingdoms are representedby the ram, the goat and the
four horns, the precise naturein which these future kingdoms
are described, hundreds of yearsbefore they come into being and
(23:15):
while Daniel is still a servantunder the Babylonian empire, is
astonishing.
It proclaims to us how thisscripture is truly a
supernatural revelation from anomniscient God.
As Gabriel defines thesekingdoms.
It helps us not only tounderstand this vision, but also
(23:37):
other visions, for example, theway in which this chapter
describes the horns on the ramas one being higher.
It's very similar to Daniel,chapter 7, where one of the
beasts was described as a bear,with one side raised up.
Also, the four conspicuoushorns on the goat here in Daniel
(24:00):
chapter 8 is also similar tothe four heads on the leopard in
Daniel chapter 7.
Picking up in verse 23, and atthe later end of their kingdom,
when the transgressors havereached their limit, a king of
bold face, one who understandsriddles, shall arise.
His power shall be great, butnot by his own power, and he
(24:25):
shall cause fearful destructionand shall succeed in what he
does and destroy mighty men andpeople who are the saints.
In verses 23-25, we're shownhow Antiochus Epiphanes would
come out towards the end of theGreek Empire, it says, when
(24:53):
transgressions have reachedtheir limit.
Five years prior to Antiochusattacking the temple in
Jerusalem, he had conspired andsucceeded at replacing the
legitimate priest Onias III withhis corrupt brother Jason.
Jason would use his power ashigh priest to subdue the Jews
and he would abandon theirancient traditions and customs.
(25:16):
Then Jason, this false priest,would lead the Jews into every
conceivable iniquity, whileneglecting to take care of the
temple.
Thus, even before Menelausbegan to violate the temple by
stealing the golden vessels, andbefore the abomination of
desolation by Antiochus,transgressions were already
(25:40):
being brought to a limit underthe first false priest, jason.
The relationships betweenAntiochus and his false
priesthood foreshadows arelationship between the
Antichrist and his false prophet.
In the book of Revelation andwe're told how Antiochus would
(26:00):
be one who understands riddlesthis would be better translated
one who understands darksentences, because Antiochus was
not known for his wisdom, butrather he was known for his
trickery or his ability todeceive his enemies.
In verse 24, we learn that hispower shall be great, but not by
(26:21):
his own power.
The power of AntiochusEpiphanes was not his own, but
it came from a demonic source,and this becomes evident through
his power of deception and hishatred for God and his people.
This demonic empowerment ofAntiochus is an example of how
(26:42):
the Antichrist will one day beempowered by Satan.
2 Thessalonians 2.9 reads thecoming of the lawless one is by
the activity of Satan with allpower and false signs and
wonders.
Antiochus Epiphanes was knownfor his deceit and craftiness
(27:06):
and he would gain power anddestroy mighty men and even
bring the people of God and thetemple of God to ruin.
Antiochus' war against thesaints and on the temple of God
foreshadows the war against thesaints of the coming Antichrist.
Revelation 13.7 reads it wasallowed to make war on the
(27:31):
saints and to conquer them, andauthority was given it over
every tribe and people andlanguage and nation.
Picking up in verse 25, by hiscunning he shall make deceit
prosper.
Under his hand and in his ownmind.
He shall become great Withoutwarning.
(27:53):
He shall destroy many and heshall even rise up against the
prince of princes and he shallbe broken, but by no human hand.
Verse 25 is very descriptive.
It begins by telling us that byhis cunning he shall make
deceit prosper.
(28:14):
It was Antiochus' demonicallyempowered cunning that allowed
his lies to flourish and to takehold so that he could conquer
nations.
Antiochus would think so highlyof himself and his ability to
conquer others through trickeryand deceit that he would exalt
(28:37):
himself as if he were God.
The coins that Antiochus IVwould mint even had the phrase
God manifest on their back,signaling that Antiochus
considered himself to be God inthe flesh.
Such an arrogant pride willalso be true of the Antichrist.
(28:57):
2 Thessalonians 2, 3, and 4read Let no one deceive you in
any way, for that day will notcome unless the rebellion comes
first and the man of lawlessnessis revealed, the son of
destruction who opposes andexalts himself against every
so-called god or object ofworship, so that he takes his
(29:22):
seat in the temple of God,proclaiming himself to be God.
The demonic treachery andseduction of Antiochus Epiphanes
prospered so greatly that hedestroyed the leadership of the
temple of God years before heeven came in with his army.
(29:42):
A first century BC Greekhistorian named Diodorus writes
of Antiochus when AntiochusEpiphanes had overcome the Jews,
he entered into the Holy ofHolies of God, where only the
priest could lawfully go.
There he found a marble statueof a man with a long beard,
(30:03):
holding a book in his hand andsitting on an ass.
He thought him to be Moses, whohad founded the nation,
established those laws that arehated in all the nations.
He desired to remove thisreproach to the nations and
endeavored to abrogate the laws.
Therefore, he sacrificed alarge sow to the statue of the
(30:29):
founder Moses.
He poured blood on the altar ofGod that stood in the open air
as well as on the statue.
He boiled the flesh of the sowand commanded that the holy
books containing their laws bemarred and obliterated with the
broth.
He commanded that the eternalflame, which always burned in
(30:52):
the temple, be extinguished.
He compelled Menelaus, the highpriest, and other Jews to eat
the swine's flesh.
Finally, verse 25 tells us thathe shall be broken.
Antiochus Epiphanes died ofsorrow in Babylon after finally
(31:13):
being defeated in the battle ofElimaeus and after receiving
word that his forces had beencrushed in Israel.
Antiochus' death foreshadowshow the Antichrist will also be
destroyed, not at the hands ofmen, but at the hands of God,
particularly at the hands ofJesus Christ, when he comes at
(31:35):
the battle of Armageddon.
2 Thessalonians 2.8 reads andthen the lawless one will be
revealed, whom the Lord Jesuswill kill with the breath of his
mouth and bring to nothing bythe appearance of his coming.
In our last two verses fortoday verses 26 and 27, we read
(31:59):
the vision of the evenings andmornings.
That, has been told, is true,but seal up the vision, for it
refers to many days from now.
And I, daniel, was overcome andlay sick for some days.
Then I rose and went about theking's business, but I was
(32:19):
appalled by the vision and didnot understand it.
In verse 26, gabriel reaffirmsto Daniel that the number of
evenings and mornings is anaccurate prophecy.
However, daniel is told to sealup the vision, because the
vision is for many days from now.
(32:39):
That phrase to seal it upcarries with it this idea of
rolling up a scroll and sealingit.
Gabriel's not telling Daniel tokeep this a secret, but rather
to preserve this for futuregenerations.
The time of Antiochus Epiphaneswould be about 400 years after
(33:00):
this vision, and the time of theAntichrist, as we know, has yet
to be fulfilled.
After receiving this visionfrom God and its interpretation
through the angel Gabriel,daniel was so overwhelmed that
it made him physically ill formultiple days and he wasn't able
(33:21):
to carry out his work in theroyal court.
Even after Daniel had recoveredfrom his physical illness and
returned to his normal duties,he continued to feel horrified
from the vision.
This vision had Daniel mentallyspent as he was thinking about
it.
He could not understand it.
(33:41):
Daniel's continued confusionand disgust of this vision
further shows us how thisprophecy, it's more than just a
prophecy of an earthly king thatwould come and desecrate the
temple, but it's a dual prophecy, one that speaks of both
Antiochus, epiphanes, as well asthe later end of indignation
(34:06):
and the appointed time of theend when the Antichrist will
rule.
Thank you for joining me forDaniel, chapter 8.
God bless you this week.
Grace and peace to you from God, our Father and our
Lord and Savior, jesus Christ.
Thank you for joining me thisweek for Daniel, chapter 8,
where Daniel receives his secondvision of a ram and a goat.
Beginning at verse 1, we readIn the third year of the reign
(00:37):
of King Belshazzar, a visionappeared to me, daniel, after
that which appeared to me at thefirst, here in our first verse,
we learn that two years afterGod had revealed the first
vision of the four beasts toDaniel, he receives a second
vision.
Daniel would now be about 69years old, verse 2.
(01:02):
And I saw in the vision.
And when I saw, I was in Susa,the citadel which is in the
province of Elam.
And I saw in the vision and Iwas in the Uli Canal.
I raised my eyes and saw, andbehold, ulai Canal.
(01:23):
I raised my eyes and saw, andbehold, a ram standing on the
bank of the canal.
It had two horns and both hornswere high, but one was higher
than the other and the higherone came up after the last.
I saw the ram charging westwardand northward and southward.
No beast could stand before himand there was no one who could
(01:44):
rescue from his power.
He did as he pleased and becamegreat.
In verses 2, 3, and 4, danieldescribes to us how, in his
vision, he sees himself in Susa.
Susa is a major city in Persiaand it would eventually become
(02:06):
the capital city of theMedo-Persian Empire.
Many years later, after Danielhad this vision, daniel also
tells us he finds himself at theUlai Canal.
The Ulai River was the name ofa river which ran next to the
city Susa, on its east side.
The canal itself would havelikely been a man-made waterway
(02:29):
that allowed water to flowthrough the city.
And as Daniel is standing onthe banks of this canal, in the
city that will one day be theMedo-Persian capital, he sees a
ram with two horns, one beinghigher than the other.
Now, this ram with two hornsrepresents the Medo-Persian
(02:52):
empire, and we will be told thatspecifically later in verse 20.
And then Daniel tells us thatone of these horns was higher
than the other, and the reasonfor this is because the Persian
side of the alliance wasstronger than the Mede.
We're also told that the higherhorn came up last, and this is
(03:12):
because Cyrus, the Persianemperor, didn't take control of
the empire at first and insteadallowed Darius the Mede, his
father-in-law, to rule.
For the first two years, therewas no beast that was able to
stand before this ram, and thisis a very good description of
the Medo-Persian empire, how itconquered as it pleased.
(03:35):
After the Medo-Persian empireconquered Lydia or Asia Minor in
548 BC, they conquered theBabylonian Empire in 538 BC and
eventually went on to conquerEgypt in 525 BC.
Picking up in verse 5, as I wasconsidering, behold, a male goat
(03:57):
came from the west across theface of the whole earth without
even touching the ground, andthe goat had a conspicuous horn
between its eyes.
He came to the ram with the twohorns, which I had seen
standing on the bank of thecanal, and he ran at him with
(04:18):
his powerful wrath.
I saw him come close to the ramand he was enraged against him
and struck the ram and broke histwo horns, and the ram had no
power to stand before him, buthe cast him down to the ground
and trampled on him and therewas no one who could rescue the
ram from his power.
In verses 5 through 7, danielsees in his vision a male goat
(04:46):
that's coming from the westacross the whole face of the
earth.
This male goat is later definedin verse 21 as the Greek Empire
, and therefore it follows thatthe conspicuous horn is
Alexander the Great.
Alexander the Great founded theGreek Empire with his campaign
(05:07):
of war and he had a reputationthat was world-renowned.
Alexander the Great was such agreat and mighty conqueror that
many people perceived him to bea god, and Daniel tells us that
this goat comes from the west,across the whole face of the
earth without even touching theground.
(05:27):
The speed with which Alexanderthe Great conquered the world
was astounding.
From the spring of 335 BC, whenAlexander began to make war,
until the end of his death in324 BC at age 33, it was only 11
years.
And after conquering theMedo-Persian Empire in 330 BC,
(05:52):
alexander's Greek Empire lastedonly six years.
Greek Empire lasted only sixyears.
When Alexander the Great ramsinto the Medo-Persian Empire is
at the river Granicus,appropriately called the Battle
of Granicus.
It was at the top of what wenow know as modern-day Turkey,
(06:13):
or then Asia Minor.
Within a year, alexander theGreat had engaged Darius III in
what would become the turningpoint battle against the
Medo-Persian Empire.
At the Battle of Issus, it wasrecorded by a captain of
Alexander's army that, inpursuit of Darius, the squadron
(06:34):
marched over the slaughteredbodies of the enemies.
Alexander the Great wouldpursue Darius III across the
whole Medo-Persian Empire untilfinally, in 330 BC, darius would
be betrayed and killed by oneof his own satraps as Alexander
the Great was closing in on him,picking up in verse 8,.
(06:57):
Then the goat becameexceedingly great, but when he
was strong, the great horn wasbroken and instead of it there
came up four conspicuous hornstowards the four winds of heaven
.
Verse 8 describes how the Greekempire of Alexander the Great
was an exceedingly great empire.
(07:19):
It was the largest empire everon earth up to its time.
But we see that the great hornwas broken.
Alexander the Great's life wasone of great conquests, but also
great tragedy.
After he had amassed hisenormous empire, in the last
year of his life he retired inBabylon at age 33 and began
(07:43):
living a life of indulgence anddrunkenness.
He passed away that same yearafter a long battle with a fever
.
It's thought he probably diedfrom complications with the
typhoid fever.
The men of his court left himlaying on his throne for days
after he was dead as theysettled matters of state.
(08:05):
Thus ended the life ofAlexander the Great.
After Alexander's death, fourconspicuous horns are said to
come up, and these areAlexander's four generals that
replaced him after his death.
They would divide the kingdomamong themselves.
These four generals wereCassander, lysimachus, seleucus
(08:30):
and Ptolemy, picking up in verse9, 9.
Out of one of them came alittle horn which grew
exceedingly great towards thesouth, towards the east and
towards the glorious land.
It grew great even towards thehost of heaven and some of the
host and some of the stars.
(08:51):
It threw down to the ground andit trampled on them.
In verses 9 and 10, we learnabout a little horn.
This reference to the littlehorn can be confusing, at first
because we had just read back inchapter 7 of another little
horn and now we find this littlehorn mentioned again here in
(09:11):
chapter 8.
And often the reason forconfusion is because this little
horn in Daniel, chapter 8represents what we often refer
to as a double prophecy inscripture.
Now, a double prophecyprophesies events that will both
take place in the near future,as well as pointing to events
(09:36):
that will happen in the distantfuture, as pointing to events
that will happen in the distantfuture.
Another way to consider this isin theology when one event in
history is an example of anotherevent, we call it a typology,
and a double prophecy can oftenbe a form of typology where the
(09:56):
prophecy in the near future willrepresent the prophecy of a
distant future.
In this case, this image of thelittle horn prophetically
points to a leader that willarise in the not-so-distant
future.
However, the leader that thislittle horn points to is a
(10:19):
typology of the Antichrist thatwill arise at the end times of
the earth.
So who is this little horn inthe near future?
This little horn was AntiochusIV.
He was a Greek king who ruledover Syria and Babylon.
(10:40):
The Syrians would call himAntiochus Epiphanes, which means
Antiochus the Illustrious,because to them he appeared very
brave.
However, the Greek historianPolybius thought he should more
appropriately be calledAntiochus Epimenides, which
(11:00):
means the madman, becauseAntiochus was known for his wild
and destructive behavior.
Antiochus IV's campaign of waris most noted for his conquest
of Egypt to the south and hisvicious attack on the Temple of
Jerusalem or the Glorious Land.
(11:21):
However, he did continue hiscampaign eastward into Media.
Our focus today willparticularly focus on how
Antiochus attacked the gloriousland.
When Antiochus had captured thecity of Jerusalem, he ordered
soldiers to kill anyone andeveryone they met, and cruelly
(11:41):
they did kill everyone,regardless of their age or sex.
Within three days, 80,000 menwere missing, 40,000 of them
were killed and the rest soldinto slavery.
Picking up in verse 11.
It became great, even as greatas the prince of the host and
(12:03):
the regular burnt offering wastaken away from him and the
place of his sanctuary wasoverthrown and a host will be
given over to it together withthe burnt offering because of
transgression, and it will throwtruth to the ground and it will
act and prosper.
In verses 11 and 12, we see howAntiochus IV had such great
(12:29):
contempt for the God of heavenand he made himself out to be
the judge, jury and executionerof God and his people.
Josephus once wrote Zacchaeushad captured the city, he
(12:51):
sacrificed swine on the altarand with the broth of its flesh
he sprinkled the temple.
We'll discuss Antiochus' attackon Jerusalem and the temple
more when Gabriel interprets thevision, picking up in verse 13,
.
Then I heard a holy one speakingand another holy one said to
the one who spoke For how longis the vision concerning the
(13:11):
regular burnt offering, thetransgression that makes
desolate, and the giving over ofthe sanctuary and the host to
be trampled underfoot?
And he said to me Fortwenty-three hundred evenings
and mornings, then the sanctuaryshall be restored to its
(13:32):
rightful state.
In verses 13 and 14, danielspeaks of how he heard a holy
one speaking.
The use of that phrase, a holyone, is speaking of angels here.
In Daniel's vision, he heard anangel ask a question and the
(13:53):
question was answered by anotherangel.
This is an interestingconversation between two angels
and it would imply from theconversation that some angels
are given specific tasks andauthority by God, and in this
case, one of these angels knowsthe length of judgment that's
going to be against the Jewishpeople and their temple.
We're also told by Daniel inverse 13 that the sanctuary is
(14:17):
given over and the hosts are tobe trampled underfoot, and
that's precisely what we'vedescribed, with Antiochus coming
into Jerusalem, killing everyJew he could find and then
desecrating the temple.
This prophecy in Daniel,chapter 8, describes this
Antiochus, a Greek ruler thatwould arise from this Greek
(14:39):
empire, and he would cause theofferings to cease at the temple
.
He would overthrow thesanctuary with this
transgression that makes itdesolate.
And while what Antiochus doescertainly qualifies as an
abomination that causesdesolation, when Jesus speaks of
(15:00):
Daniel's prophecies, of theabomination that causes
desolation in Matthew, mark andLuke, he speaks of them as
future prophecies.
Therefore, what AntiochusEpiphanes did here in 171 BC to
the temple of God is aforeshadow, a foreshadow of a
(15:23):
future little horn who is to bethe Antichrist.
We should expect the futureAntichrist to look similar, but
to even exceed the arrogance,the blasphemy and the hatred of
Antiochus Epiphanes.
The prophecy of the 2300evenings and mornings is an
(15:45):
exact number of days that theoppression would continue over
the Jewish people and,specifically, the integrity of
the temple.
This oppression began from thetime Menelaus, one of their
false high priests, began toviolate the temple by stealing
the golden vessels from thetemple on September 6th 171 BC,
(16:09):
until December 25th 165 BC, whenJudas Maccabee would
reinstitute the burnt offeringsafter having repaired the holy
place and the holy of holies,and that would include having
made new vessels, bringing inthe lampstand and bringing in
the altar of incense and thetable of showbread, all prepared
(16:29):
and in working order.
The reinstitution of the burntofferings at the temple by Judas
Maccabee is an event stillcelebrated today by the Jewish
people at the Feast of Lights,otherwise known as Hanukkah
Picking up in verse 15,otherwise known as Hanukkah
Picking up in verse 15.
When I, daniel, had seen thevision, I sought to understand
(16:53):
it and behold, there stoodbefore me one having the
appearance of a man, and I hearda man's voice between the banks
of the Uli, and it calledGabriel make this man understand
the vision.
In verses 15 and 16, daniel isstill in this vision from God
(17:19):
and he still sees himselfstanding at the canal of the
river Ulai and suddenly he seessomeone who looks like a man.
And suddenly a voice comes fromout of nowhere, or, as Daniel
says, between the banks of theriver, as it were.
And this voice from between thebanks of the river commands
Gabriel to make Danielunderstand the vision Picking up
(17:41):
in verse 17,.
So he came near where I stoodand when he came I was
frightened and fell on my face.
But he said to me Understand, oson of man, that the vision is
for the time of the end.
And when he had spoken to me, Ifell into a deep sleep with my
(18:03):
face to the ground.
But he touched me and made mestand up.
He said Behold, I will makeknown to you what shall be at
the later end of the indignation, for it refers to the appointed
time of the end.
In verses 17 through 19, we seeDaniel's first interactions with
(18:26):
the angel Gabriel.
And when Gabriel comes close toDaniel, daniel is so
overwhelmed by the holiness ofthis angel, he becomes afraid
and we're told that he falls tothe ground face first.
Now, after seeing the holinessof an angel or the glory of God,
(18:47):
it's not uncommon in scriptureto become so afraid that you
lose control of your extremitiesand fall down as if you were
dead.
And that seems to be whathappens to Daniel.
And as Daniel falls to theground, gabriel tells him this
vision is for the time of theend.
Now, this Hebrew phrase, thetime of the end, carries with it
(19:12):
the tone of the last days ofthe earth.
At first, this phrase seemsquite out of place, especially
because Gabriel is about todescribe events that we know
historically took place between335 and 165 BC.
However, as we continue to readchapter 8, we begin to realize
(19:35):
more and more how these eventspoint to a bigger picture and
how this is truly a doubleprophecy.
The major character.
This is truly a double prophecy.
The major character, the littlehorn, and the major event, the
transgression that makesdesolate, are a typology of the
Antichrist to come in the endtimes.
(19:56):
And since Gabriel will soondefine the characters of this
vision to Daniel.
It's easy for us to look backwith hindsight and put this
vision together with thehistorical events that took
place.
However, while this vision andits interpretation do describe
(20:16):
historical events that will takeplace between 200 and 400 years
after the time of the vision,they are indeed events, as
Gabriel says, point to the timeof the end.
And when Gabriel tells Danielthis, daniel falls into a deep
(20:36):
sleep.
Even in his visionary state,daniel is so shaken after
falling to the ground andGabriel telling him that this is
about the times of the end thathe goes unconscious.
And then Gabriel wakes Danielup by touching him and he makes
him stand up and listen to therest of this interpretation.
(20:58):
After having Daniel stand up tolisten, gabriel reinforces that
this vision is about the end ofindignation.
Now this phrase also refers tothe end times, but it could be
translated the end of the curseor the time of wrath.
(21:20):
Gabriel then tells Daniel athird time that this is about
the appointed time of the end.
Old Testament prophets wouldalso refer to the appointed time
of the end as the time ofJacob's trouble or the day of
the Lord.
What Gabriel is telling Danielhere over and over again is that
(21:43):
this vision relates to the lastdays of the earth, the days
when God will pour out his wrathon the wicked and all those who
oppose God and God's people.
Picking up in verse 20, as forthe ram that you saw with two
horns, these are the kings ofMedia and Persia, and the goat
(22:07):
is the king of Greece, and thegreat horn between its eyes is
the first king.
As for the horn that was broken, in the place of which four
others arose, four kingdomsshall arise from his nation,
(22:29):
arise from his nation, but notwith his power.
So in verses 20 through 22, theangel Gabriel goes into
specifics.
After telling Daniel that thisvision is about the end times,
gabriel speaks of nations andevents that are going to happen
two to four hundred years afterthis vision, and while this
certainly can seem confusing atfirst, it's describing to us
today, the reader, how this isindeed a double prophecy and how
(22:53):
the initial prophecy is atypology of an end times
prophecy.
Here Gabriel begins tointerpret specifically which
earthly kingdoms are representedby the ram, the goat and the
four horns, the precise naturein which these future kingdoms
are described, hundreds of yearsbefore they come into being and
(23:15):
while Daniel is still a servantunder the Babylonian empire, is
astonishing.
It proclaims to us how thisscripture is truly a
supernatural revelation from anomniscient God.
As Gabriel defines thesekingdoms.
It helps us not only tounderstand this vision, but also
(23:37):
other visions, for example, theway in which this chapter
describes the horns on the ramas one being higher.
It's very similar to Daniel,chapter 7, where one of the
beasts was described as a bear,with one side raised up.
Also, the four conspicuoushorns on the goat here in Daniel
(24:00):
chapter 8 is also similar tothe four heads on the leopard in
Daniel chapter 7.
Picking up in verse 23, and atthe later end of their kingdom,
when the transgressors havereached their limit, a king of
bold face, one who understandsriddles, shall arise.
His power shall be great, butnot by his own power, and he
(24:25):
shall cause fearful destructionand shall succeed in what he
does and destroy mighty men andpeople who are the saints.
In verses 23-25, we're shownhow Antiochus Epiphanes would
come out towards the end of theGreek Empire, it says, when
(24:53):
transgressions have reachedtheir limit.
Five years prior to Antiochusattacking the temple in
Jerusalem, he had conspired andsucceeded at replacing the
legitimate priest Onias III withhis corrupt brother Jason.
Jason would use his power ashigh priest to subdue the Jews
and he would abandon theirancient traditions and customs.
(25:16):
Then Jason, this false priest,would lead the Jews into every
conceivable iniquity, whileneglecting to take care of the
temple.
Thus, even before Menelausbegan to violate the temple by
stealing the golden vessels, andbefore the abomination of
desolation by Antiochus,transgressions were already
(25:40):
being brought to a limit underthe first false priest, jason.
The relationships betweenAntiochus and his false
priesthood foreshadows arelationship between the
Antichrist and his false prophet.
In the book of Revelation andwe're told how Antiochus would
(26:00):
be one who understands riddlesthis would be better translated
one who understands darksentences, because Antiochus was
not known for his wisdom, butrather he was known for his
trickery or his ability todeceive his enemies.
In verse 24, we learn that hispower shall be great, but not by
(26:21):
his own power.
The power of AntiochusEpiphanes was not his own, but
it came from a demonic source,and this becomes evident through
his power of deception and hishatred for God and his people.
This demonic empowerment ofAntiochus is an example of how
(26:42):
the Antichrist will one day beempowered by Satan.
2 Thessalonians 2.9 reads thecoming of the lawless one is by
the activity of Satan with allpower and false signs and
wonders.
Antiochus Epiphanes was knownfor his deceit and craftiness
(27:06):
and he would gain power anddestroy mighty men and even
bring the people of God and thetemple of God to ruin.
Antiochus' war against thesaints and on the temple of God
foreshadows the war against thesaints of the coming Antichrist.
Revelation 13.7 reads it wasallowed to make war on the
(27:31):
saints and to conquer them, andauthority was given it over
every tribe and people andlanguage and nation.
Picking up in verse 25, by hiscunning he shall make deceit
prosper.
Under his hand and in his ownmind.
He shall become great Withoutwarning.
(27:53):
He shall destroy many and heshall even rise up against the
prince of princes and he shallbe broken, but by no human hand.
Verse 25 is very descriptive.
It begins by telling us that byhis cunning he shall make
deceit prosper.
(28:14):
It was Antiochus' demonicallyempowered cunning that allowed
his lies to flourish and to takehold so that he could conquer
nations.
Antiochus would think so highlyof himself and his ability to
conquer others through trickeryand deceit that he would exalt
(28:37):
himself as if he were God.
The coins that Antiochus IVwould mint even had the phrase
God manifest on their back,signaling that Antiochus
considered himself to be God inthe flesh.
Such an arrogant pride willalso be true of the Antichrist.
(28:57):
2 Thessalonians 2, 3, and 4read Let no one deceive you in
any way, for that day will notcome unless the rebellion comes
first and the man of lawlessnessis revealed, the son of
destruction who opposes andexalts himself against every
so-called god or object ofworship, so that he takes his
(29:22):
seat in the temple of God,proclaiming himself to be God.
The demonic treachery andseduction of Antiochus Epiphanes
prospered so greatly that hedestroyed the leadership of the
temple of God years before heeven came in with his army.
(29:42):
A first century BC Greekhistorian named Diodorus writes
of Antiochus when AntiochusEpiphanes had overcome the Jews,
he entered into the Holy ofHolies of God, where only the
priest could lawfully go.
There he found a marble statueof a man with a long beard,
(30:03):
holding a book in his hand andsitting on an ass.
He thought him to be Moses, whohad founded the nation,
established those laws that arehated in all the nations.
He desired to remove thisreproach to the nations and
endeavored to abrogate the laws.
Therefore, he sacrificed alarge sow to the statue of the
(30:29):
founder Moses.
He poured blood on the altar ofGod that stood in the open air
as well as on the statue.
He boiled the flesh of the sowand commanded that the holy
books containing their laws bemarred and obliterated with the
broth.
He commanded that the eternalflame, which always burned in
(30:52):
the temple, be extinguished.
He compelled Menelaus, the highpriest, and other Jews to eat
the swine's flesh.
Finally, verse 25 tells us thathe shall be broken.
Antiochus Epiphanes died ofsorrow in Babylon after finally
(31:13):
being defeated in the battle ofElimaeus and after receiving
word that his forces had beencrushed in Israel.
Antiochus' death foreshadowshow the Antichrist will also be
destroyed, not at the hands ofmen, but at the hands of God,
particularly at the hands ofJesus Christ, when he comes at
(31:35):
the battle of Armageddon.
2 Thessalonians 2.8 reads andthen the lawless one will be
revealed, whom the Lord Jesuswill kill with the breath of his
mouth and bring to nothing bythe appearance of his coming.
In our last two verses fortoday verses 26 and 27, we read
(31:59):
the vision of the evenings andmornings.
That, has been told, is true,but seal up the vision, for it
refers to many days from now.
And I, daniel, was overcome andlay sick for some days.
Then I rose and went about theking's business, but I was
(32:19):
appalled by the vision and didnot understand it.
In verse 26, gabriel reaffirmsto Daniel that the number of
evenings and mornings is anaccurate prophecy.
However, daniel is told to sealup the vision, because the
vision is for many days from now.
(32:39):
That phrase to seal it upcarries with it this idea of
rolling up a scroll and sealingit.
Gabriel's not telling Daniel tokeep this a secret, but rather
to preserve this for futuregenerations.
The time of Antiochus Epiphaneswould be about 400 years after
(33:00):
this vision, and the time of theAntichrist, as we know, has yet
to be fulfilled.
After receiving this visionfrom God and its interpretation
through the angel Gabriel,daniel was so overwhelmed that
it made him physically ill formultiple days and he wasn't able
(33:21):
to carry out his work in theroyal court.
Even after Daniel had recoveredfrom his physical illness and
returned to his normal duties,he continued to feel horrified
from the vision.
This vision had Daniel mentallyspent as he was thinking about
it.
He could not understand it.
(33:41):
Daniel's continued confusionand disgust of this vision
further shows us how thisprophecy, it's more than just a
prophecy of an earthly king thatwould come and desecrate the
temple, but it's a dual prophecy, one that speaks of both
Antiochus, epiphanes, as well asthe later end of indignation
(34:06):
and the appointed time of theend when the Antichrist will
rule.
Thank you for joining me forDaniel, chapter 8.
God bless you this week.
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