This is a part of a sermon series in the book of Daniel. You can watch more here.
This morning we are teaching through Daniel 8, and they say Daniel 1-6 is the fun part of
Daniel. It’s the part where we see the Lord ruling over His people, even in a foreign land,
and the Lord rescuing His people, even if it is different than what we might expect.
But starting in Daniel 7 we start to see the book of Daniel get a little complicated. That’s
why I had our very own Jerry Chou teaching through Daniel 7 last Sunday. Didn’t Jerry do a
great job? What a blessing he is for our church in Austin! Let’s jump into Daniel 8, verse 1:
Daniel 8:1, “1 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.”
This might be a little confusing, but the book of Daniel is no longer chronological. We saw
this in the book of Judges where we see key judges functioning in their role and then the
last few chapters of Judges it’s like the author is pulling out personal stories from the
previous events.
In the same way, verse 1 is going back to the reign of Belshazzar over Babylon, this is about
a decade before Persia will come into the story, so that these events in Daniel are
describing what will take place in the future. Let’s look at verses 2-3:
Daniel 8:2-3, “2 I looked in the vision, and while I was looking I was in the citadel of Susa,
which is in the province of Elam; and I looked in the vision and I myself was beside the
Ulai Canal. 3 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 longer one coming up last.”
You know those moments when you are sitting around the table with your friends talking
about the visions of rams with two horns? No, it’s not common. I don’t know that I have
ever experienced a vision from the Lord like this but it is possible for the Lord to speak to
us through visions.
Now, these visions we are reading in Daniel are recorded in Scripture and speaking to
future events that are available to all people, so this is a unique vision, but any vision we
have from the Lord today is always going to fall under the authority of Scripture.
This is important because sometimes people will use language like, “I have a vision from
the Lord,” and they will use this language as a symbol of power and authority like, “You
should listen to me!” But our visions from the Lord always want to fall under the authority
of God’s Word.
In the context of Daniel 8 we see Daniel has a vision and we have seen this type of language
two others times in Daniel. In chapter 2 we saw the vision of the golden statue, and last
Sunday in chapter 7 we saw the vision of the four beasts, so that in chapter 8 we see
another vision.
It is the vision of a ram that is in Susa, the capital of Persia and “horns” in scripture are
often associated with kingdoms, so that in verse 3 we see one horn is larger than the other,
and we will see that these horns represent the Medes and Persians that are coming to take
over Babylon. Look at verse 4:
Daniel 8:4, “4 I saw the ram butting westward, northward, and southward, and
no other beasts could stand before him nor was there anyone to rescue from his power, but he
did as he pleased and magnified himself.”
In verse 4 we the ram charging west, north, south and no other beast could come up against
the ram, so that this kingdom is a powerful kingdom, this kingdom is going to expand, and
this ram is a picture of a kingdom that is coming.
It’s possible that some of us might be thinking, “If this coming kingdom is only a decade
away, how do we know Daniel didn’t just write this chapter later and say these things to
give the appearance of a heavenly vision.” It’s possible! It’s why we study God’s Word! It’s
good to ask questions. Look at verses 5-6:
Daniel 8:5-6, “5 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. 6 He came up to the ram that had the two horns, which I had seen standing
in front of the canal, and rushed at him in his mighty wrath.”
In verse 5 we see a vision of a male goat that is coming from the west with power. He is
covering the whole earth. He isn’t touching the ground. He has a giant horn that is bigger
than the other two horns of the ram, and rushing at the ram with a mighty wrath.
It’s at this point that some of us might start feeling like we’re on Bourbon Street talking to
Miss Cleo. It’s okay. God’s Word is supernatural and that might feel uncomfortable for
some of us, but that’s okay.
If you were studying this passage on your own you would want to start writing down
questions like, “What am I reading? Are we sure Daniel wasn’t doing drugs? Why is the
Bible talking about these animals? How does this apply to my life?” These are all good
questions.
In our groups we are studying through 1 Peter to teach our church family in Austin how to
study God’s Word and 90% of studying God’s Word is asking questions like, “Who, what,
when, where, why and how.” It’s good to ask questions.
As a pastor there is a temptation for me to lecture and tell you everything, but instead I
want to invite you into the process of wrestling with God’s Word. I will provide some
direction so we don’t leave frustrated, but it is also good to imagine you are reading these
verses with fresh eyes and asking yourself, “What could these verses be talking about?”
Sometimes we get discouraged and we stop reading, but it is in the questioning and the
wrestling that we are interacting with the Holy Spirit and learning about the glory of God,
so in the context of the passage, “I guess Daniel could have got a bad batch of drugs?” I
don’t think so, but it’s good to ask questions.
I guess it’s possible these creatures could be mythological? I guess there could be some
really big goats and rams out there that Daniel is seeing? This whole time we thought we
were discovering dinosaurs, but maybe these are just giant goats and rams? Look at verses
7-8:
Daniel 8:7-8, “7 I saw him come beside the ram, and he was enraged at him; and he struck the
ram and shattered his two horns, and the ram had no strength to withstand him. So he hurled
him to the ground and trampled on him, and there was none to rescue the ram from
his power. 8 Then the male goat magnified himself exceedingly. But as soon as he was mighty,
the large horn was broken; and in its place there came up four conspicuous horns toward
the four winds of heaven.”
In verse 8 we see the goat takes over the ram, the horn of the goat is broken and there are 4
horns that rise up and take its place.
Now, it’s possible you are having a hard time connecting these verses to real life, but we
have to remember these are real people, real experiences, and this vision is talking about
the collapse of the Babylonian Kingdom, where Daniel lives and works. It’s meant to evoke
a sense of urgency.
In addition, another kingdom is coming, and oh yeah, that kingdom is going to collapse, so
Daniel is learning about a future that is filled with volatility, insecurity, challenges, hiccups,
and uncertainty. Anyone feel like that today?
Now, we don’t have visions from the Lord talking about the collapse of our country, so we
need to keep that in mind, but we have media talking about world wars, collapse of
economy, dictators, immigration, viruses, or in our personal lives we have things like
career, health, marriage, children.
But for Daniel, this isn’t the news. This is the Lord telling Daniel a day is coming that is
going to be very difficult, so he needs to get ready and he needs to share this vision with
Israel so Israel, living in Babylon, can get ready.
In our life today, we also have fears at the macro and micro level, but God’s Word is
teaching us we have what we need to know, therefore, we should trust Him. Look at verses
9-10:
Daniel 8:9-10, “9 Out of one of them came forth a rather small horn which grew exceedingly
great toward the south, toward the east, and toward the Beautiful Land. 10 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.”
In verse 8 we see four horns introduced and in verse 9 we see a smaller horn come out of
one of those horns, and this little horn is going to grow in power, spread out their power,
and create tremendous difficulty.
The reference to “Beautiful Land” is a reference to Jerusalem, and it would seem this “little
horn” is describing a historical figure known as Antiochus Epiphanes who reigns as a king
300 years after this is written.
Antiochus Epiphanes is a real person in human history who conducts military campaigns,
specifically against the people of Israel, which is why in verse 10 you see language of “stars
fallen and trampled” because these are warnings of urgency to the people of Israel to get
ready for great pain and difficulty. Look at verses 11-12:
Daniel 8:11-12, “11 It even magnified itself to be equal with the Commander of the host; and it
removed the regular sacrifice from Him, and the place of His sanctuary was thrown
down. 12 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.”
The pronoun “it” refers to the “little horn” and it’s at this point we start to see language that
is describing a historical figure like Antiochus Epiphanes, and at the same time there is
supernatural language being used that is larger than Antiochus Epiphanes. Do you see it?
Equal with the commander of the host, removing sacrifices, slinging truth to the ground,
and prospering. It is language of Antiochus but also language of a greater figure that is to
come.
Jerry touched on this last Sunday. Sometimes God’s Word will describe something with
near fulfillment (Antiochus) and a future complete fulfillment (Antichrist.)
Usually the near is partial and the distant is complete, so that Antiochus is like a preview, or
a foreshadowing of a greater threat is to come, so that it is one thing to see your
government collapse, but Daniel 8 is describing a day when we will seem like the glory of
God is being overpowered? Look at verses 13-14:
Daniel 8:13-14, “13 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?” 14 He said to me, “For 2,300 evenings and mornings; then the holy place will
be properly restored.”
There are some different views on what “2300 evenings and mornings” mean but for the
sake of time we can see great pain and hardship for a period of time, but eventually the
“holy place will be restored.” Do you see that in verse 14?
The primary context of our passage is that Daniel 8 is describing a day that is coming that
will be terrifyingly difficult, and at the same time, those difficult days are numbered.
We need to hide this truth in our heart today. There are times we will experience hardship.
It might be at the macro level; world war, economy, dictators, viruses. It might be at the
micro level; career, health, family, but no matter the difficulty we know from God’s Word
that those days are numbered. Even if we spent 90-years in difficulty, it is minimal to
eternity with Jesus. Our trust is in Him.
When my son and I went skiing it was our first time to ski. I could do really great at turning
left, but turning right, my foot wouldn’t turn, so I kept falling and falling.
In my head I kept telling myself, it’s just two days. It’s just one day. Tomorrow I will be in
my bed! It’s because knowing the end matters. Look at verses 15-17:
Daniel 8:15-17, “15 When I, Daniel, had seen the vision, I sought to understand it; and behold,
standing before me was one who looked like a man. 16 And I heard the voice of a man
between the banks of Ulai, and he called out and said, “Gabriel, give this man an
understanding of the vision.” 17 So he came near to where I was standing, and when he came I
was frightened and fell on my face; but he said to me, “Son of man, understand that the vision
pertains to the time of the end.”
In verses 15-17 we can imagine the fear Daniel must feel in this moment and it’s in that
moment that we see another vision of one “who looked like a man” and he calls out to the
angel Gabriel to give Daniel some understanding. Isn’t that nice?
In addition, it’s possible the phrase “time of the end” could mean the end of time like it
sounds and some will say it is simply a description of the next 400 years, but I think there is
a (both / and) taking place in Daniel 8.
I think there is preparation for Israel for the next 400 years with Antiochus Epiphanes, and
at the same time God’s Word is preparing all those who are His for a future day of great
hardship. Let’s jump to verses 20-22 as we get into the details.:
Daniel 8:20-22, “20 The ram which you saw with the two horns represents the kings of Media
and Persia. 21 The shaggy goat represents the kingdom of Greece, and the large horn that is
between his eyes is the first king. 22 The 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.”
Some of y’all are thinking, “Why didn’t we just start in verse 20?” It’s because it’s good to
wrestle with God’s Word! The Medes and the Persians are a two headed kingdom with two
horns, but Greece is going to come, and we know from history within 12-years of Daniel 8,
Alexander the Great is able to take over the Persian empire.
We also know from history that Alexander the Great hands over his kingdom to four
generals, four kingdoms, just like we see in God’s Word. Look at verses 23-24:
Daniel 8:23-24, “23 “In the latter period of their rule, when the transgressors have run their
course, a king will arise, insolent and skilled in intrigue. 24 “His power will be mighty, but not
by his own power, and he will destroy to an extraordinary degree and prosper and perform his
will; He will destroy mighty men and the holy people.”
Enter Antiochus Epiphanes! Historically we know Antiochus Epiphanies caused Israel
much pain. Eventually Israel is going to be released from Persia. They are going to get to
rebuild Jerusalem, rebuild their temple, you can read this in books like Ezra and Nehemiah,
but Antiochus Epiphanes is going to take Israel by force and desecrate Israel’s temple.
And at the same time, God’s Word is laying the foundation with supernatural language of
someone like Antiochus but worse. Just as Antiochus comes with force, so one will come
with great force. Just as Antiochus attacks Israel and desecrates the temple, so one will
come and bring oppression toward Israel.
Of course, it’s easy to get trigger happy in our day when we see some of these
characteristics, but God’s Word teaches us we won’t know the time or day but we can know
difficulty will come and we need to be ready.
Getting ready means we know Jesus! If you are here this morning and you don’t know
Jesus then you need confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, believe in your heart that
Jesus resurrected from the dead.
If you do know Jesus, then the call is still to get ready. Get strong in God’s Word. Get strong
physically. Get strong mentally. Difficult days are numbered but they are coming.
As a result, this leaves us in a place of tension, so that we want to get ready but we don’t
want to become consumed with fear.
When we read Daniel 8 we should have this mix of feelings where we feel so significant to
be included and invited into God’s plans and at the same time, so insignificant that He only
tells us what we need to know.
I saw this silly reel comparing our attitude of walking through Wal-Mart compared to
walking to a restaurant downtown. The reel made the point that we can walk the same
distance in both scenarios, but the restaurant downtown will feel further, because at Wal-
Mart we can see the end destination. Does that make sense?
In the same way, when we know God’s plans through God’s Word the more it will calm our
fears because we know the end destination.
It doesn’t mean fear is 100% removed. God’s Word tells us over and over, “Do not be
afraid.” It’s because He knows we are going to be afraid, therefore, look to God’s Word to
see God’s plan to calm our fears and turn those fears to Him over and over, every day, every
hour, asking for His help to trust in Him. Look at verses 25-27:
Daniel 8:25-27, “25 “And through his shrewdness he will cause deceit to succeed by
his influence; and he will magnify himself in his heart, and he will destroy many while they
are at ease. He will even oppose the Prince of princes, but he will be broken without human
agency. 26 “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.” 27 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.”
I love that verse 27 says, “Daniel was exhausted and sick for days” because I am guessing
that some of us feel a little exhausted after wrestling with this vision. It’s okay! You’re in
good company!
There are going to be days when we read God’s Word and it’s a little challenging. It should
be! It’s God’s Word! There are going to be days when we feel like life is hard. It’s okay.
God’s Word tells us those days are coming!
I love our country, I love our culture but our country and our culture is not my Savior. Our
country and our culture is not my hope. Our country and our culture is not my security.
It’s because our trust is in the Lord. Our hope is in the Lord. He has revealed what we need
to know. He will take care of us. He will rescue. He will deliver. He has a plan. He is
working His plan, so that Daniel 8 is a history lesson, but it’s also a future lesson.
There may be days of hardship ahead, but there is also a day when every tongue will
confess and every knee will bow, so that all of creation will bow in awe and glory at His
name, therefore, we put our hope and our trust in Him. Amen?
North Village Church
This sermon is brought to you by North Village Church, a non-denominational church in Austin. established in 2009 and built around Jesus and Bible teaching.
Are you looking for a church in Austin? At North Village Church we put Jesus at the center of our church family. We worship together every Sunday at 10:30am, encourage Christ centered fellowship through groups, and host special events such as Bible studies and Theological Training, to ensure that we are rooted in in God’s Word. We also serve our local community in association with several Austin based organizations.
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