Daniel 8 Who does the ram and the goat represent? Who is the angel that appears to Daniel to explain the vision and what else do we know about this angel? What similarities do you see with Daniel 7? Why would God give Daniel this vision? What difference does this passage make to us today?

Babylonian Empire (605 – 539 BC) 587 BC Babylonians take over Southern Kingdom (Judah) Medo-Persian Empire (539 – 332 BC) Greek Empire (332 – 167 BC) 332 – 301 Alexander the Great 301 – 200 Ptolemies (Greeks in Egypt) rule 200 – 164 Seleucids (Greeks in Syria) rule 168-7 Antiochus IV defiles Temple   “Third Year of King Belshazzar” (551 or 550 BC)

Alexander the Great’s Empire

Greek Empires under 4 Generals

The Ram and the Goat

Ram with 2 horns Ram = Medo-Persia Two horns = kings of Media and Persia (v. 20) One horn longer than the other = Persia more powerful than Media but the two had a joint kingdom under Cyrus I. Butting westward, northward, southward (Persian Empire expanding in these directions)

Goat with 1 horn From the west: Greece (v. 21) Without touching the ground = swiftness of his victory Large horn = Alexander the Great Large horn broken and others took its place = divided into four kingdoms Cassander: Macedonia and Greece Lysimachus: Thrace and Asia Minor Seleucus: Syria, Mesopotamia, and eastern regions Ptolemy: southern Syria, Palestine, Egypt

Small horn: Antiochus IV Epiphanes (175 – 163 BC) growing toward south, east, and Beautiful Land (Israel) campaigns against Egypt, Parthia, and Israel stars/host falling to earth: exalting himself to the place of God and trampling God’s people and his angels with blasphemy destroy mighty men and holy people (v. 24) considered himself equal with Commander of the host: equal with God see also v. 25 “magnify himself” “even oppose the Prince of princes” removed regular sacrifice: morning and evening sacrifices at the Temple he will succeed in removing sacrifice and taking over the “hosts” (v. 12)

2300 evenings and mornings about 6 ½ years Vision of evenings and mornings is true but many days in the future (v. 26) Antiochus’ persecution: Sept 6, 171 BC to Dec 25, 165/4 BC At the end of the persecution, Jews celebrated cleansing of the Temple with Feast of Lights (Hanukkah). More to come in Daniel 11.

The Angel Gabriel First named angel in Scripture (v. 16) Gabriel = “man of God” (“one having the appearance of a man” – v. 16) Same Gabriel that announced birth of Jesus to Mary (Luke 1:26 – 35) “refers to the time of the end” (v. 17); “latter time of indignation” (v. 19); “appointed time the end shall be” (v. 19). First, this is referring to the persecution and end of persecution of the Hebrews by Antiochus Second, it refers to the End, the final moment in history when the AntiChrist will rise to power for persecution and then be silenced. “keep it secret” – again, because it is in the far future or to keep it safe from corruption

Purpose While Daniel 7 gives a far-reaching scope of the future (Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, Rome), this focuses on the time period of the middle two. More severe persecution is coming, even the desecration of the Temple but it will be cleansed and Antiochus will be removed. “he will be broken without human agency” (v. 25) He died of insanity and disease of the bowels Not all suffering is a result of God’s judgment on His people God is still sovereign. “will be given over” (v. 12) “so as to allow” (v. 13) “the appointed time of the end” (v. 19) “but not by his own power” (v. 24)

Application It is certain that God’s people will be persecuted but it is equally certain that God is sovereign. Not everything bad that happens is punishment for wrongdoing. God is not only omniscient (prophecies nearly 400 years before) but also omnipotent (nothing is outside of His ultimate control).