Daniel - Chapter 8
This chapter opens in the third year of the rule of Belshazzar, two years after the events of chapter seven. Daniel has been in continual study of the scriptures and he knows that Jeremiah has foretold 70 years of exile. But in Belshazzar's time, Daniel has begun to grasp that the 70 years are being stretched into far longer.
We should also note (as we did in our beginning) that this chapter begins the return to being written in Hebrew while most of the previous chapters were expressed in Aramaic. Those chapters dealt mostly with the Gentiles. Now Daniel turns his attention (and his language) to the Hebrew matters of the people, the Holy City of Jerusalem, and the Temple. We enter now the second vision granted to Daniel, filled with symbols but now we see these vision symbols given meaning by the angel of God.
(8:1-4 & 15-20) The Ram With Two Horns
(8:5-8 & 21-22) The Goat With The Horn Between His Eyes
(8:9-14 & 23-27) The Little Horn
In the new vision, Daniel finds himself in Shushan, the capital of Persia, on the banks of the river Ulai. Daniel sees a ram with two horns, one grown higher than the other, which are meant to represent the kings of Media and Persia, with the higher one being the symbol of the Persian kingdom. Daniel sees the ram pushing to the west and north and south, with no animal found to stand against it. We remember how boldly Daniel spoke to this king on the last day of his rule (after the wall writing) and now we see that Daniel knew already by vision what was going to occur.
The Lord's angel, Gabriel, is present, under command to make sure that Daniel understood the vision. The angel speaks in strongly specific terms. This description by Gabriel once more confirms for Daniel (and us) that all things are happening according to the plan of God and God is providing a small portion of foresight of these things to his chosen prophet. Our first reminder lesson in today's chapter is that God rules human history.
Now a second animal symbol approaches, A goat with a single horn between his eyes. It moves across the whole earth while not touching the ground, an empire expanding quickly and without delay. The goat confronts the ram and the ram has no power to withstand him. History unfolded just as the vision foretold and as the angel explained. The goat with the single horn was Greece.
We know that in 334 B.C. Alexander the Great, commanding the Greek army, attacked the Persian forces at the Granicus river. Alexander had in that battle 35,000 men and he attacked forces of more than 110,000 and won a decisive victory, killing over 20,000 Persians while losing only 100 of his own men. Within one year the Greeks under Alexander had conquered Persia.
After these events, Alexander's early death caused his empire to be broken into four divisions, represented by Daniel seeing the single horn broken and four other horns taking its place. (Macedonia (west)/ Thrace (north)/ Syria (east)/ Egypt (south) )
One of the four divisions was Syria, from which a terrible and demonic leader rose known as Antiochus Epiphanes. He is thought to be one of the many antichrists foretold by John in 1st John 2:18.
This leader was anxious to extend his empire into Palestine, and this effort brought him into conflict with the dynasty in Egypt. On the way to confront Egypt, he travels through Jerusalem, replaced the high priest with a man of his own choosing, and then invaded Egypt. The Jews would not accept the new high priest and were in rebellion against him. Antiochus, hearing of the rebellion, turned his efforts back to Jerusalem, brutally putting down the rebellion. Forty thousand Jews were killed in the Holy City in three days. He then entered the Holy Temple and sacrificed a pig upon the Holy Altar, and removed all the Lord's furnishings.
After defeat in Egypt, Antiochus returned to Jerusalem and took out his wrath on the Jews, slaughtering over 20,000 Jews on the Sabbath day of worship. He ended all sacrifice and in its place began human sacrifice in the Temple after placing a statue of Zeus within the holy place. All feast days were profaned by his commands and Psalm 79 foretold this horrible time, “... blood they have shed like water all around Jerusalem”.
While this awful time brought the revolt of Judas Maccabeus from the Jews, it was not successful. At that time Antiochus was afflicted with a mysterious disease, never revealed, and he died a horrible death in painful agony.
Daniel asks the angel how long must be this terrible time and the reply was 2300 days until the Temple would be restored. (The actual Hebrew wording is “evening-morning sacrifices” which assures the time is meant as 24 hour days).
There are three things brought to focus in this vision lesson:
It was of strong importance that Daniel should understand the meaning of these things. Verses 17-19 indicates the priority of Daniel's understanding.
What did understanding mean? No names were given of nations nor men. All the vision was in symbol form. The understanding was not a simple future history lesson, but was that Daniel absorbed the fact that the cause of these conflicts was the nature of evil, and that it will be ultimately destroyed.
Daniel was clearly advised in verse 26 that these events were to be many days in the future. But these events were so difficult to accept that Daniel tells us that he fainted and was sick for days, and was astonished by what he had seen. He was burdened about the future of his people and the evil that must befall his land.
Daniel's understanding leads us to a deeper understanding ourselves, which is that we must lead holy lives now, among a darkening world. All the darkness coming is only the time before the bright dawn when the Lord will arrive and bring his light to overcome all darkness.
Verse 25 is clear. Evil will stand against the Prince of princes, and will be broken without hand. While at times evil seems to prosper, sin in individuals, rulers, and nations will yield to the will of God. We see in the New Testament that Jesus was arrested, beaten, convicted and crucified. Did it seem during that dark time that evil had won?
YES!
But in three days what was the final verdict?
Paul teaches us in 2nd Thessalonians this lesson once more. The final future evil had its origin in the garden and had thousands of years of a form of freedom, permitted by God. But the climax of all things will be divine arrival and judgment.
Peter also taught us in 1st Peter 5 that he knew these things well, and that we should be sober & vigilant, because the evil one walks among us seeking those he may devour. We must resist, and be steadfast.
Daniel is assured in verse 26 that the vision was true but also was for the future (for many days) and that it must be now shut up. While Daniel rose up to continue the king's business as was his work, he is clear in his final words in the chapter that he did not understand it. Here we see that is it not necessary that the Lord's prophet grasp each and every detail of the vision he may be given. His role was to be given some understanding by the angel and to write it.
Daniel allows us who study his book that the primary lesson of all the prophecy given him for all who will come after him is that all things not residing within the Lord will perish.
