Daniel: Week 8 The prophecies of Daniel 7-8 are the foundation for the entire book of Revelation. Chapter 7 gave a vision of the four great kingdoms of Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome. Chapter 8 provides a vision that narrows the focus to Medo-Persia and Greece. This vision for Daniel came 2 years after the first vision, and the vision happens in modern day Iran. Daniel sees a ram with two horns, one higher than the other. “No beast could stand before him, and there was no one who could rescue from his power. He did as he pleased and became great.” Then “a male goat came from the west across the face of the whole earth”. It had a conspicuous horn between his eyes. The goat was enraged at the ram and broke its two horns. The goat trampled the ram. Verse 8 says, “then the goat became exceedingly great, but when he was strong, the great horn was broken, and instead of it there came up four conspicuous horns toward the four winds of heaven. Out of one of them came a little horn, which grew exceedingly great…” This ruler would lead for 2300 days, and then his rule would come to an end. Gabriel, a warrior angel, interpreted this vision to Daniel, and told him that this vision “refers to the appointed time of the end.” The ram with the two horns referred to the kings of Media and Persia, and the goat is the king of Greece, with the great horn being the first king. Alexander the Great was the first king of Greece. Alexander was a bookworm, and was a disappointment to his father, Philip, who was the head of the Macedonian Empire. Philip gave Alexander a tutor, Aristotle, until the age of 19, when Philip died. At this point, Alexander wanted to avenge his father’s death, so he became a ruthless leader who slaughtered thousands of people, and sold people groups into the hands of others. Alexander’s mother fed his ego and told him he was a son of the gods. But we must remember what verse 8 said, “the large horn was broken.” On June 10, 323 BC, after conquering the world, Alexander the Great died at age 33. When Alexander died, there was a vicious power struggle between his 4 generals, greatly weakening Greece’s power. These four were: Cassander – takes Greece and Macedonia Lysimachus – takes Asia Minor, modern day Turkey, and the Thracian Empire Ptolemy – takes Egypt Seleucus – takes Syria and Babylonia 4 horns, 4 generals, and now, 4 kingdoms, and 4 dynasties that rule for years. Remember, Daniel wrote all of this down 200 years before any of it ever happened! Verse 23 speaks of “a king of bold face” and a little horn. “His power shall be great-but not by his own power; and he shall cause fearful destruction and shall succeed in what he does, and destroy mighty men and the people who are the saints.” He will be victorious in battle, achieve power, and amass wealth. The man is Antiochus Epiphanes (170 BC), the 8th ruler of the Seleucids. He was one of the most narcissistic madmen the world has ever seen. He gave himself the name, “God manifest”, and he was awful. Antiochus stopped Sabbath from being celebrated, burned Hebrew Scriptures, murdered 80000 Jews, and much more. Jesus even spoke about him in Matthew 24:15-16. He ruled 2300 days, just as the vision foretold. His rule ended when Judas Maccabeus, part of the Maccabean family, started a revolt. On December 25, 164 BC, they managed to overcome the Syrians, and they rededicated the temple back to God. This is the genesis for the celebration of Hannakuh. The “little horn” was mentioned in Chapter 7 and 8, and points to the part of Old Testament prophesy that speaks to a “near and far” aspect. Antiochus Epiphanes – near Antichrist – far Both of these people are completely destructive and are powered by evil. Both shall be broken, “and not by human hands”. The implication is that “the Prince of princes” will break the evil king. This prediction was fulfilled when King Antiochus was destroyed. But it will find final fulfillment at Jesus’ Second Coming. Antiochus appears here not only because he was a prominent figure in Israel’s prophetic future, but because he was also a picture of the still-future little horn of Daniel 7 – the Antichrist. The prophecies about the Antichrist are already/not yet fulfilled (2 Thess 2:8) Paul is answering the charge that the end times have already occurred. A future antichrist is coming, Paul says, and he’ll do all the things that Antiochus Epiphanes did. Again, Daniel 7-8 are both for yesterday and tomorrow. God is working all of his plans out through both good and evil. Greece united the world under one trade language (Greek), which made it much easier for the gospel to spread. The Romans brought the first highway system between cities, which allowed the gospel to travel much faster. God is at work in every disaster, moving His church forward. One day, the God who is working in history invisibly will come to assume the throne personally. And in that moment the power of the antichrist will literally evaporate in front of Him, “with just the breath of His mouth”. The Ancient of Days is on the throne, and the God who rules over history promises to one day come to rule in history and He is moving everything in the world, and in your life, to that end. Questions to discuss: Why is it important to know how historical fact and the Truth of the Bible align? Knowing that we are in the “last hour”, meaning between Jesus’ first and second coming, how should we live? Why is it good to remember that this world of heartache, pain, and suffering is only a temporary “passing through” season for us in eternity? How does studying the book of Daniel increase your faith? What questions does it cause you to think about?