10/31/10

Daniel 8

Superpowers in Conflict
Daniel and the End of History

The GBC Inheritance Class

Fall 2010
Dr. Gene Pond

Our Story So Far

Daniel, a Hebrew
statesman and prophet
advising the leaders of
Babylon under two great
empires, has revealed
future events including a
coming world leader
who will persecute the
Jews, God’ people.
—Daniel 1–7

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The Book of Daniel

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

1–6 7–12
Court Stories Apocalyptic Visions
Daniel presented in 3rd person Daniel records in 1st person

1:1–
2:4a 2:4b–7:28 8–12
Heb. Aramaic Hebrew

Near-History to Inform Far-Prophecy

Babylon

Persia

Greece

Rome

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Daniel 8
A Pair of Locked Horns
The Vision Experienced 1–14
•  The Background of the Ram
1–4
•  The He-Goat from the West
5–8
•  The Little Horn
9–14
 Try to learn as much as you can
about the Bible. History supports
the Scriptures.
 We are involved in history and
God’s plan personally. He chose
Daniel and Cyrus to work in
everyday history.
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The Vision Explained 15–27
•  The Angel Gabriel
15–18
•  The Interpretation
19-27
Daniel 8:1-4
The Background
of the Ram
Time: Belshazzar’s third year (551 B.C.)
A subsequent vision: Vision #2
His location in the vision: Susa, later to
be one the palace cities of the Persian
kings (Neh 1:1; Esth 1:2)
History records that the Persians
considered a ram with sharp, pointed
horns to be their guardian spirit, and the
king bore the head of a ram instead of a
crown when he led his armies into
battle.
Ram = Media and Persia (8:20)
Pushing without opposition in several
directions: for 200 years, Persia would
be unstoppable in controlling the world.
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The Conquests of Alexander the Great

334–323 B.C.

Daniel 8:5–8
The He-Goat
from the West
He-Goat

From the West

= Greece (8:21)
Large horn = “First King”

ALEXANDER

Seleucus over
Lysimachus over Cassander over Ptolemy over
Syria and vast
Thrace and most Macedonia and Egypt and
territory to the
of Asia Minor Greece possibly Palestine
east

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•  He comes from a different beast
8-9
•  He opposed Israel
(the host of heaven) 10a
•  He tried to subvert Israel
(through Hellenism) 10b
•  He tried to replace the high priest
(the Commander) 11
The 2,300 Evenings and Mornings
•  Then I heard a holy one
speaking; and another holy one
said to the one that spoke, “For
how long is the vision concerning
the continual burnt offering, the
transgression that makes
desolate, and the giving over of
the sanctuary and host to be
trampled under foot?”
•  And he said to him, “For two
thousand and three hundred
evenings and mornings; then the
sanctuary shall be restored to
its rightful state.”
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Daniel 8:9–14
The Little Horn
of the He-Goat
Homesickness (“the Beautiful land”, 9)
Seleucus’ horn, evidently, gave rise to a
man named Antiochus IV Epiphanes.
Made himself a god, equal to the prince
Israel was God’s “host” (Exod 7:4; 12:41)
•  2,300 years, ending in 1844
when the temple in heaven
would be cleansed
(Seventh Day Adventism)
•  3 ½ years of Great Tribulation
—but this is not that tribulation
•  The 2,300 days between 171 and
164 BC during which Antiochus
would hold sway
•  The 1,150 days (3 ½ years)
between when statue set up until
temple cleansed, from
desecration until restoration
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Daniel 8:15-19
Gabriel the Vision Interpreter
•  Angels
in Daniel
•  Gabriel
•  Daniel’s
reaction 17
•  “Time of the
end” 17, 19

God knows the future, and He has apponted an ending time for
1. Antiochus Epiphanes’ reign of terror
2. The future end times

Daniel 8:20-27
The Vision Explained by Gabriel
The little goat horn’s rule
•  The animals explained
20-22
•  Antiochus IV Epiphanes
23-24
▫  A case of prophetic
pre-illustration
▫  A type of the Antichrist
The little goat horn’s ruin
•  Shrewd and deceitful
self-aggrandizement 25a
•  False peace with Israel 25b
•  Messiah-hater 25c
•  Limited by God 26
•  The effect on Daniel 27

•  God is willing to chart out our •  When you seem to be down,

future; we should listen sad, miserable: “Rise up
again” and get about the
King’s business

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