DANIEL — LESSON 10

Scriptures for Lesson 10 are taken from Daniel 8.

In Lesson 9, Daniel was given his 1st vision of future kingdoms. The time was about fourteen years before the fall of Babylon. In this vision Daniel saw four great beasts coming up out of the sea. His vision was like unto Nebuchadnezzar’s vision of the great statue that represented four future kingdoms. The beasts in Daniel’s vision were a lion which represented Babylon; a bear which represented the Kingdom of the Medes and Persians; a leopard with four heads which represented Greece divided among Alexander’s generals after his death; the terrifying beast with ten horns that became seven horns and one of them was like a man with eyes and a mouth which represented kingdoms to come out of the old Roman Empire area in the end times. In Chapter 8, we are given details of the second and third world kingdoms of the visions, the Kingdom of Media and Persia and the Kingdom of Greece. The Kingdom of Babylon is nearing its end.

In chapter 8, Daniel had another vision about two years after his first one in chapter 7. This vision took place some twelve years before the fall of Babylon. Daniel is about 69 years old and the date is approximately 551 BC.

[Daniel 8:1-2] (1) In the third year of King Belshazzar’s reign, I, Daniel, had a vision, after the one that had already appeared to me. (2) In my vision I saw myself in the citadel of Susa in the province of Elam; in the vision I was beside the Ulai Canal.

The vision Daniel had in chapter 7 came to him in the form of a dream. In this vision in chapter 8, he appeared to be awake. Like in John’s vision in Revelation chapter 4 where he was taken up to heaven, Daniel is taken to another place. Daniel was most likely in Babylon and was taken in his vision to the Persian province of Elam, the city of Susa, also called Shusan, and beside a canal called, Ulai, that is about 900 feet wide. The scripture says Daniel is in the citadel of Susa. A citadel is a fortress protecting a town, sometimes incorporating a castle. Daris I built a huge citadel in this area about 510 BC. It may or may not be what Daniel saw in his vision. Citadel of Darius I at Susa, which he built about 510 BC .

[Daniel 8:3-8] (3) I looked up, and there before me was a ram with two horns, standing beside the canal, and the horns were long. One of the horns was longer than the other but grew up later. (4) I watched the ram as it charged toward the west and the north and the south. No animal could stand against it, and none could rescue from its power. It did as it pleased and became great. (5) As I was thinking about this, suddenly a goat with a prominent horn between its eyes came from the west, crossing the whole earth without touching the ground. 6 It came toward the two-horned ram I had seen standing beside the canal and charged at it in great rage. (7) I saw it attack the ram furiously, striking the ram and shattering its two horns. The ram was powerless to stand against it; the goat knocked it to the ground and trampled on it, and none could rescue the ram from its power. (8) The goat became very great, but at the height of its power the large horn was broken off, and in its place four prominent horns grew up toward the four winds of heaven.

Daniel sees the goat with the large horn coming from the west attack the ram coming from the east. These verses describe Daniel’s vision of the two-horned ram coming from the east and the goat with a prominent horn in its forehead coming from the west charging to do battle. The prominent horn of the goat breaks off and in its place four large horns grow.

[Daniel 8:15-22] (15) While I, Daniel, was watching the vision and trying to understand it, there before me stood one who looked like a man. (16) And I heard a man’s voice from the Ulai calling, “Gabriel, tell this man the meaning of the vision.” (17) As he came near the place where I was standing, I was terrified and fell prostrate. “Son of man,” he said to me, “understand that the vision concerns the time of the end.” (18) While he was speaking to me, I was in a deep sleep, with my face to the ground. Then he touched me and raised me to my feet. (19) He said: “I am going to tell you what will happen later in the time of wrath, because the vision concerns the appointed time of the end. (20) The two-horned ram that you saw represents the kings of Media and Persia. (21) The shaggy goat is the king of Greece, and the large horn between its eyes is the first king. (22) The four horns that replaced the one that was broken off represent four kingdoms that will emerge from his nation but will not have the same power.

As Daniel is trying to understand what he is seeing, God sends the Angel, Gabriel, to explain to Daniel what it all means. The appearance of the heavenly being terrified Daniel and he fell to the ground on his face. Gabriel called Daniel “son of man” which is the term Jesus used form himself, meaning He was born human. Daniel said the angel raised him up from a deep sleep and told Daniel that he was going to explain the vision. He went on to clarify that the two horned ram that would come from the east was the Kingdom of the Medes and the Persians and the goat with the large prominent horn was the Kingdom of Greece that would come from the west. The two horns of the ram represented the two kingdoms of Media and Persia and the one large horn of the goat represented Alexander the Great, leader of Greece. The broken large horn represented Alexander’s death in Babylon in 323 BC. The four horns that grew in its place were Alexander’s four generals who divided his kingdom. But Greece never had the power it had under Alexander.

[Daniel 8:9-12] (9) Out of one of them came another horn, which started small but grew in power to the south and to the east and toward the Beautiful Land. (10) It grew until it reached the host of the heavens, and it threw some of the starry host down to the earth and trampled on them. (11) It set itself up to be as great as the commander of the army of the Lord; it took away the daily sacrifice from the Lord, and his sanctuary was thrown down. (12) Because of rebellion, the Lord’s people and the daily sacrifice were given over to it. It prospered in everything it did, and truth was thrown to the ground.

As is often the case with prophesy, this part of Daniel’s vision refers to two different occasions and time periods. History identifies the first occasion of the vision of the “Little Horn” as being Antiochus Epiphanes. Antiochus took the territory that was held by Alexander the Great’s general, Seleucus. Verse 9 says that the little horn moved and east toward the Beautiful Land, which refers to Israel. Antiochus outlawed Judaism and desecrated the Hebrew temple in Jerusalem by declaring himself a god. The day of worshiping him was on the Sabbath and in 167 BC he sacrificed a pig on the altar in the temple. The Jews revolted led by a priest named Mattathias, who led them to overthrow Antiochus’ control and gain independence from Greece. This time period between the Old and New Covenant came to be called the Time of the Maccabees. Remember, Daniel received his vision about 551 BC and the events concerning Antiochus Epiphanes took place in 167 BC some 384 years later.

Troops of Antiochus Epiphanies desolated the Temple in Jerusalem (Luke 21:20) and did away with the daily sacrifice in 167 BC Antiochus. Then set up Jupiter on a horn of the altar resembling himself and offered a pig as sacrifice on the altar. Daniel 9:27 says: “on a wing of the altar will be an abomination that desolates.” The temple referred to here would be what is called Zerrubbabel’s Temple. This temple was built after the exiles returned to Jerusalem from Babylon. Solomon’s Temple was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 BC. The temple that was in Jerusalem during the time of Christ is called Herod’s Temple.

[Daniel 8:13-14] (13) Then I heard a holy one speaking, and another holy one said to him, “How long will it take for the vision to be fulfilled — the vision concerning the daily sacrifice, the rebellion that causes desolation, the surrender of the sanctuary and the trampling underfoot of the Lord’s people?” (14) He said to me, “It will take 2,300 evenings and mornings; then the sanctuary will be reconsecrated.”

[Daniel 8:23-27] (23) “In the latter part of their reign, when rebels have become completely wicked, a fierce-looking king, a master of intrigue, will arise. (24) He will become very strong, but not by his own power. He will cause astounding devastation and will succeed in whatever he does. He will destroy those who are mighty, the holy people. (25) He will cause deceit to prosper, and he will consider himself superior. When they feel secure, he will destroy many and take his stand against the Prince of princes. Yet he will be destroyed, but not by human power. (26) “The vision of the evenings and mornings that has been given you is true, but seal up the vision, for it concerns the distant future.” (27) I, Daniel, was worn out. I lay exhausted for several days. Then I got up and went about the king’s business. I was appalled by the vision; it was beyond understanding.

Daniel asked Gabriel how long a time would the Jews suffer? How long would it be from the time the sacrifices were ended, the desolation and surrender of the sanctuary and the trampling of the Lord’s people would be over. His answer was 2300 evenings and mornings. There is a controversy among Bible scholars concerning this time period. Some believe the time began in 171 BC when Onias, the legitimate High Priest was murdered and a non-legitimate line of priests took over the temple sacrifices. The time was completed when Antiochus died and desecration of the temple worship declined.

The vision so physically drained Daniel that he fainted and was sick for days. When he regained his strength he went back to his responsibilities to the king of Babylon. Since Daniel was not given times when these kingdoms would come now who their Kings and leaders would be, it was all confusing for him. But Daniel, as always trusted God.

The prophesies in Daniel chapter-8 that have come to pass were foretold with such accuracy, we can be certain that those prophesies that are yet to come, will come and we need to be ready.

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