Another vision from Daniel
In Chapter 7, in the first year of the reign of Belshazzar, Daniel had disturbing dreams and prophesies that played out in a near fulfillment and will play out until the end times. The chapter ends with Daniel confessing that he kept the matter to himself.
That's not a small matter. Daniel has been advising Kings since Nebuchadnezzar's first year as king. Daniel has proven capable of working properly with the chain of command, but with this new king, he did not share this prophesy. That tells us all we need to know about God's plans for Belshazzar. Belshazzar is no Nebuchadnezzar or even a Darius. God does not send Daniel to him until the very end.
Now, we're heading into Chapter 8 and this theory is proven because there is a new set of very important visions, dreams, and prophesies and not only does Daniel not share them, Belshazzar doesn't even know who Daniel is until his last night on earth.
In the third year of the reign of Belshazzar the king a vision appeared to me, Daniel, subsequent to the one which appeared to me previously. Daniel 8:1
So we know that Chapter 7 and 8 are connected, even though it had been 2 years.
These visions are something he can look into, not a dream that passes by and you have to contemplate it later. Daniel seems to be able to step into the dream and explore, similar to what we saw with Ezekiel.
- He finds himself 250 miles east of Babylon in the citadel in Susa, in Elam.
- He's beside the Ulai canal.
- It's worth noting that this is very similar to Ezekiel's vision. Ezekiel was next to a canal in Babylon and now Daniel is next to a canal 250 miles east.
- Babylon's season is ending and now the power center is moving east.
Then I lifted my eyes and looked, and behold, a ram which had two horns was standing in front of the canal. Now the two horns were long, but one was longer than the other, with the [g]longer one coming up last. Daniel 8:3
- The ram represents the Medo-Persian empire that will take over at the end of Belshazzar's Babylonian empire ending on his watch.
- A ram is an adult male sheep.
- The reason the ram had two horns, but they are unequal is that the Median/Mede empire started as the dominant of the two, but the Persian become dominant with the rise of Cyrus.
- Verse 4 goes on to tell us that this eastern empire expanded westward and north and south.
- No other beasts could stand against them.
- The ram does what he pleases and no one is saved from him.
- Another reminder that this info would have been really good for Belshazzar to know, but God didn't share it with the Babylonian king.
- One final detail: The gold portion of the statue in Chapter 2 has no translation anymore. The first beast in Chapter 7 passes away (lion/eagle).
While I was observing, behold, a male goat was coming from the west over the surface of the whole earth without touching the ground; and the goat had a conspicuous horn between his eyes. Daniel 8:5
The goat has arrived. (also known as the silver portion of the Chapter 2 statue and the bear in the Chapter 7 vision)
- Pretty ironic that goat has become the common tern for the greatest of all time. Daniel sees a male goat moving west over the whole earth without touching the ground. Maybe that indicated the speed the goat is moving (Alexander the Great) or maybe it also reference how the world will be fundamentally changed as Greece brings a common language around the known world, making the first foundation of a world where the upcoming Christianity can make God known to the world.
- The goat has one conspicuous horn between it's eyes (Alexander the Great).
- Even today, the goat is a symbol associated with Greece.
- The goat wrathfully rushes the ram next to Daniel's position on the canal, so Greece pushed directly into Medo-Persina territory.
- The ram's horns are shattered and he cannot fight back. The goat is enraged. and he tramples the ram.
- The goat is briefly considered magnificent.
- Then his one horn is broken and four conspicuous horns grow out pointing at the four winds of heaven.
- Alexander dies young without a succession plan so four general rise up and rule the worldwide empire broken into pieces in each direction of the empire.
- The horn facing south/east has an exceedingly great horn grow from it and heads toward Palestine. (This is Antiochus Epiphanes—who plundered the Temple and desecrated the alter with pigs blood. (Note: Ryrie states that my use of Antiochus Epiphanes in my Chapter 7 post is wrong. That anti-Christ will come from the Roman Empire.)
I'm probably reading too much into this, but I find it interesting that this is now a battle between a male sheep (ram) and a goat–something we'll see in the end times when Jesus sorts people into sheep and goats. This may just be a common metaphor of the times, as these were people wo bought, sold, and ate these animals as part of life; but I thought I'd capture the question that came to mind.
It grew up to the host of heaven and caused some of the host and some of the stars to fall to the earth, and it trampled them down. Daniel 8:10
The small, magnificent, terrible horn produced great destruction. Ryrie claims this is the terrible destruction Antiochus Epiphanes executed on the Jews, which was terrible and probably accurate in the near fulfillment; but this is also considered a description of the Satan causing the fall of one third of the stars (former angels, now demons) from heaven. This latter interpretation is strengthen in verse 11 as the little terrible horn tries to make itself equal with the Commander (God). Either way, God's sanctuary is desecrated. I'm not sure why God would include this image from the past here, except to use the events of this (probably) demon-possessed leader to tells us about the past and to remind us that history repeats itself (for now).
More bad news in Daniel's unfolding vision:
And on account of transgression the host will be given over to the horn along with the regular sacrifice; and it will fling truth to the ground and perform its will and prosper. Daniel 8:12
The host will be given over to the horn and sacrificed. Truth itself will be a casualty. Maybe, in the near fulfillment this is referencing the sacrifice of Christ Jesus—who is the Way, the truth, and the Life? Satan thought he was winning and he overplayed his hand, per usual.
Then I heard a holy one speaking, and another holy one said to that particular one who was speaking, “How long will the vision about the regular sacrifice apply, while the transgression causes horror, so as to allow both the holy place and the host to be trampled?” He said to me, “For 2,300 evenings and mornings; then the holy place will be properly restored.” Daniel 8: 13–14
Okay, now we're deep into prophesy theology, and I'm not going to pretend to be an expert on this. I know that near fulfillment experts have calculated the time Antiochus Epiphanes persecuted the Jews as 2300 days, until the Maccabeaus reclaimed the Temple. And I know end times experts claim that half of the Tribulation will last 2300 days.
This concludes the vision and now, in verse 15, Daniel seeks an interpretation.
Can you imagine? To see the near term conquests and empires, and destruction? so very overwhelming.
Now, Daniel finds someone standing in front of him that looks like a man. Not a man, but looks like a man. This man is probably Jesus. This persons command the angel Gabriel to give Daniel an interpretation. Gabriel heads toward Daniel and Daniel falls on his face in fear. Gabriel tells Daniel that the vision is about the end time. (Near fulfillment= end of the era before Jesus and end times also meaning the actual end times.
Interpretation
Daniel is on his face an falls into a deep sleep. Gabriel touches Daniel and Daniel pops up upright (Again reminds me of things that happened to Ezekiel). Starting in verse 20, Gabriel explains that he's going to tell Daniel about the end times, based on the vision symbolism.
- ram with the two horns represents the kings of Media and Persia
- goat represents the kingdom of Greece, and the large horn that is between his eyes is the first king
- broken horn and the four horns that arose in its place represent four kingdoms which will arise from his nation, although not with his power (Alexander died at 33 years old in 323 bc)
- near the end of Greece's supremacy a king will rise, insolent and skilled in intrigue (The rule of Antiochus Epiphanes started about 164 BC, within ~20 years of Greece's fall to Rome.)
- he will be mighty, not in his own strength
- he will destroy to a great degree
- he will impose his will successfully on mighty men and holy men
- deceit will succeed
- he will be exceedingly proud
He will even oppose the Prince of princes,
But he will be broken without human agency. Daniel 8:25b
Ryrie's footnotes claim this is all more details about Antiochus Epiphanes, but that last line shows that there is a near and end fulfillment. This is Antiochus and this is the anti-Christ. The MacArthur Commentary does a better job of delineating between the near and end fulfillment. MacArthur also confirms the Prince of Peace as Jesus as well as the Commander.
“The vision of the evenings and mornings
Which has been told is true;
But keep the vision secret,
For it pertains to many days in the future.” Daniel 8:26
Gabriel confirms that all of these visions and dreams are real things that will happen in the future. He tells Daniel to keep these secret. This confirms what I said earlier that God intended to keep this from Belshazzar and even from Darius. So why tell Daniel all of this if he couldn't tell anyone?
For you and me.
Daniel, is the security of the most powerful empire in the world somehow accurately predicted how empires would rise and fall and even how specific rulers would lead, such as Alexander and Antiochous. That's not probably, or even possible—hundreds of years unfolding across multiple continents. God is absolutely sovereign over everything and everyday. We are justified in our faith.
But God.
It becomes possible if the God who made it all and who exists outside of time and space told Daniel. In the Mosaic Law, God explains that the test of a prophet is if their predictions come true (Deuteronomy 18:21–22). Daniel has been proven accurate. Now we can trust what he has to say about the end times. It was a big test so we could confidently look forward to the fullness of God's plan.
Now you see why people want to discredit Daniel as written in the times of Babylonian rule. It just isn't possible, except by faith.
The chapter ends this way:
Then I, Daniel, was exhausted and sick for days. Then I got up again and carried on the king’s business; but I was astounded at the vision, and there was none to explain it. Daniel 8:27
Sitting comfortably in my modern day life, this is confusing. It seems like it would be exhilarating to be given these visions and to be such an important part of passing God's plan to the ages. Daniel was important, gifted, and blessed. It's easy to see his life and his receiving these visions through a romantic lens. But it's important to remember his childhood was marred by kidnapping, captivity march, castration, enslavement, and permanent separation from his family. He was repeatedly placed in a position to die because of his gifting. And now he has seen horrific scenes from the near future and the final future. The life of a prophet is usually marked with pain, suffering, and a burden the rest of us cannot imagine. He carried this vision at great cost to himself so that we can gain faith in our Lord.
Amazing.