College Press Bible Study Textbook Series
Daniel 8 - Introduction
SERMON NUMBER EIGHT
LOCKING HORNS
Text: Daniel 8
INTRODUCTION
I.
AGAIN, DANIEL TELLS OF A VISION HE HAD DURING HIS DAYS UNDER BELSHAZZAR.
A.
This vision somewhat like the first.
1.
In the form of animal actors
2.
Deals with future, world-shaping events and empires.
3.
These events will have direct bearing on the covenant people of God and their future mission in God's redemptive plan.
4.
These events deal with minute details of the far distant future and are important in building an apologetic as well as theistic philosophy of history.
B.
Daniel was transported in vision to Susa, capital of the province of Elam.
1.
Elam was a country on the east side of Tigris river opposite Babylonia in a mountainous region.
2.
Its population a variety of tribes.
3.
Its languagedifferent from Sumerian, Semitic and Indo-Europeanwas written in cuneiform script, and has not yet been deciphered to any extent.
4.
Elam was one of the earliest civilizations; in Sumerian inscriptions it was called Numma high mountain people.
5.
The river Ulai runs through the province of Elam, and flows through the city of Susa into the Tigris-Euphrates.
C.
Why did Daniel feel it important to mention these places?
1.
Because Susa was later to become the summer capital of Persian empire.
2.
When the vision came, nothing concerning the future importance of this territory was known.
3.
The yet-unknown Susa no doubt needed to be located for many of Daniel's readers. Bears witness to predictive nature of scriptures.
D.
Archaeological effort in later 1800'S uncovered in Susa the great palace of King Xerxes (486-465 B.C.) in which Queen Esther lived.
1.
Many other Jews lived here in the captivities and man stayed here and never returned to the Holy Land when the exiles returned.
DISCUSSION
I.
GOAT AND THE RAM, Daniel 8:1-8
A.
The Ram is Medo-Persia (cf. Daniel 8:20)
1.
Two horns are two component parts of this empire, Media and Persia
2.
The taller horn came up last, and this coincides with the history of this empire where Persia eventually became supreme and assimilated the Medes.
3.
The Ram, emblematic of princely power (Ezekiel 34:17, etc.); and the contrast between ram and he-goat is remarkably close to the contrast between Persia and Greece.
4.
Ram likes to butt things, and yet there is something of staid and sober character to it. not quite as flamboyant as he-goat.
5.
Persia's rapid conquest of world symbolized by butting of Ram west, north and southdid not butt east, because she herself was the easternmost part of the empire.
6.
Three points of compass agree with three ribs in mouth of bear.
7.
No beasts could stand before him compares to imagery of ch. 7, and command to arise and devour much flesh. There was little resistance to Persia until Philip of Macedon.
8.
The Persian conquerors magnified themselves; Cyrus, one of history's most significant monarchs, first to dominate the world as an Ayran Persian, brought a veritable millennium for subject peoples; Cyrus-' empire lasted 200 years; gave the world the longest peace in history until Rome; great commercial expansion; international language (Aramaic); rapid communications and good roads; international coinage; first world government to attempt to bring different races and nationalities under a central government, assuring to all the rights and privileges of government as well as its burdens; they allowed various subject races and civilizations to go on side by side with their own; interfered as little as possible in local government matters.
9.
Persians respect for truth and honor, and their humane and chivalrous character, was the secret of their nation's success; the Persians were the founders of religious freedom on a world basis. Note that the Jews speak well only of the Persian empire. Rome returned to many of the Persian practices. Under Darius the Persian government even helped bear the expense of erecting Israel's new temple.
B.
The He-Goat is Greece,
1.
Fitting, for it represents ruggedness and power (Zechariah 10:3).
2.
Sure-footedness and quickness; He (Alexander) went through the ends of the earth and took spoils of a multitude of nations; and the earth was quiet before him. I Mace. Daniel 1:3.
3.
He had a horn of conspicuousness (a prominent horn) between the eyes. This represents Alexander the Great
4.
River is significant, for it represents the Granicus river, where the Ram and He-goat met in their first Asiatic war.
5.
Great anger points to the cry for vengeance from the Greek city states after years of assaults across the Aegean by the Persians
6.
Alexander won an empire covering more than one and a half million square miles. He mapped unknown territories, built cities, opened trade routes stimulated the exchange of ideas. From the Mediterranean to the Hindu Kush, Greek became the lingua franca of court and commerce.
7.
His vast realm survived for only a few years as his successors fought each other for power.
8.
Daniel 8:8 and its four notable horns coming up in the place of the great horn (Alexander) are parallel to the four heads of the leopard of chapter 7 and represent the four-way division of Alexander's empire between PPtolem, Antigonus, Cassander and Lysimachus.
II.
GREAT HORN, AND THE RIGHTEOUS PRINCE; Daniel 8:9-17
A.
Description here and subsequent verses so definite that little horn can be no other than Antiochus IV (Epiphanes), and those who came before him, the Seleucids.
1.
Ptolemy I, one of four to get Alexander's empire, appointed Seleucus Nicator (his leading general) to administer Syria for him.
2.
There followed a century and a half of war between the Ptolomies and Seleucids for sovereignty in Syria and Palestine.
3.
It will be discussed in ch. 11, but here all the Seleucid rulers between Nicator and Antiochus IV are passed over with the phrase came forth a little horn, which waxed exceeding great, toward the south, etc.
4.
Note the little horn is grown great and grows out of one of the four which definitely belong to the Grecian Empire; is not therefore the same little horn of ch. 7 which grew out of the 4th beast.
5.
The glorious land can be none other than the Holy Land.
6.
The host of heaven and the stars are simply God's covenant people.
7.
The terrible, presumptuous deeds of Anticohus IV against the saints of God were in reality arrogant wickednesses against Heaven itself.
B.
This Little Horn magnified -itself even to the Prince of the Host
1.
Arrogated to himself prerogatives of Almighty God
2.
Actually considered himself equal to God and commanded that likenesses of himself be placed in the temple of the Jews and worshipped as God.
3.
He forbade the Jews to offer their regular sacrifices (1Ma. 1:44-47).
4.
He desecrated the temple to such a point, even commanding that swine be slain on the temple altar, so that it was not fit for use.
5.
He also substituted an altar to Jupiter for the altar of burnt offering.
6.
Great numbers of the people of Israel consorted with Antiochus and welcomed his Hellenization of their culture. Many were given over to the transgressions of the heathen. God permitted this; He did not cause it (same principle as 2 Thessalonians 2:11-12).
7.
This pagan ruler cast truth down to the ground, and all descriptions of evil flourished and prospered for a time. Every copy of Jewish scriptures that could be found was burned and many faithful Jews were slain. Read 1Ma. 1:56-57.
8.
God sent His angel to Daniel so that Daniel might have an authoritative interpretation of these things.
9.
2300 morning-evenings as a Hebrew would understand it would be 2300 days; it points to a period of time to be defined in round numbers and undoubtedly points to the period of Antiochus-' abominable treatment of the Jews. His oppression of them began in 171 B.C. (one year before his return from his 2nd expedition to Egypt). The termination would be his deaththe 2300 days cover a period of six years and about 4 months. Keil believes the number (being a little short of 7 years) possesses a symbolical meaning, not quite the full duration of a period of divine judgment. The fact it is expressed in days reminds the troubled Israelites that the Lord will not let this period extend a day beyond what they can bear.
10.
The phrase then shall the sanctuary be cleansed makes it very plain that what is really marked by the 2300 days is the period of the desecration of the sanctuary.
C.
How long will it last?
1.
Daniel knows thus far only that it will not last through an entire period of divine judgment.
2.
The presence of perfect holiness before Daniel causes him to tremble with fear and he falls on his face as if to hide.
3.
The vision has to do with the time of the end and is definitely meant to be understood. This should indicate it is not the end of time, for of that day and hour no one knoweth.
4.
Furthermore, there is a specific key to contextual interpretation of this time of the end, and that is Daniel 8:19the latter part of the indignation. IT CAN ONLY REFER TO THE END OF TIME WHEN AFFLICTIONS OR INDIGNATION ARE TO BE PERMITTED UPON ISRAEL. IT IS THE END OF THE O.T. PERIOD AND THE USHERING OF THE NEW TESTAMENT (WHICH IS THE END OF THE AGES). This time of the end reaches only to the end of those special afflictions that are to come on the people of the Jews BEFORE the Messianic periodthe subject of prophecy because of their importance to the preparation of the covenant people for the coming of the Messiah and the establishment of His kingdom which is gloriously symbolized in the prophets as the time of God's victory over His enemies and
the restoring of the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem. THE VIEW THAT THE TIME OF THE END HERE HAS REFERENCE TO THE GREAT TRIBULATION, SUPPOSEDLY DURING THE LATTER HALF OF THE 70TH WEEK, IS UTTERLY WITHOUT EXEGETICAL SUPPORT FROM THIS CONTEXT OR ANY OTHER!
III.
GRIEVOUS TIMES AND RETRIBUTION, Daniel 8:18-27
A.
The angel has to revive Daniel in order to make him know.
1.
The message has to do with the closing days of the indignation.
2.
The term indignation (or wrath) can only refer to the captivities of the covenant people (see Isaiah 10:5; Isaiah 10:25; Isaiah 26:20, etc.).
3.
It is a technical term used by prophets to designate the wrath of God and His displeasure executed in giving the covenant people over to captivity to their hated enemies
4.
So, when the abominations of Antiochus occur, it will be a sign that the INDIGNATION of God against the covenant people for their idolatry during the Divided Kingdom period is coming to a fierce finality.
5.
This appointed time of the end is the time of the end of the O.T. dispensation. When Antiochus died, the Maccabean brothers continued their war of Jewish liberation, which by its success gave the Jews about 100 years of freedom until about 63 B.C., when Pompey occupied Palestine as a part of the Roman empire.
6.
In the fullness of time, God sent forth His Son; the Jews for the most part rejected the Messiah and crucified Him, but God raised Him from the dead. With this the Jewish dispensation came to an end. God mercifully allowed the temple to stand another 40 years, but then allowed the Romans to destroy it and the Jewish commonwealth. YES, EVEN THE O.T. PREDICTED THAT ITS DISPENSATION OF GOD'S GRACE WOULD BE SUPPLANTED WITH THE NEW AND REAL
7.
The point is, God warned the Jews earlier (by Amos, Hosea, etc.) that their idolatry would bring this INDIGNATIONNow God reveals through Daniel that this INDIGNATION is going to end some day.
B.
Now we have an even more detailed interpretation of who these characters are and when they shall appear,
1.
The Ram and He-goat are Persia and Greece.
2.
The king of fierce countenance is Antiochus IV.
3.
When the 4 kingdoms (divisions of Alexander'S) have run their course, then this new king will put in his appearance.
4.
He is to be a master of deceitable to conceal his meaning and deceive his enemies; a master of cunning and cannot easily be deceived himself, except by his own vanity and pride, AND HIS POWER IS PERMITTED ONLY BECAUSE GOD WISHES IT TO BE SO.
5.
It will seem as if evil and deceit are about to take over the whole world when this king reigns. Whatever he undertakes will prosper (for a while).
6.
Leupold says: This is. a very skillfully condensed account of the checkered career of one of the most remarkable men that strutted across the stage of history. Its very conciseness makes it ambiguous or difficult to understand if one skims over it too readily.
7.
One personal characteristic that will stand out will be his proud, haughty, presumptuous nature.
8.
His inordinate pride and self-exaltation lead him to blaspheme and challenge the Almighty God, but God will not allow such evil and rebellion to thwart His Divine purposes. God without hand, by means that appear to be providential or divine, will break this tyrant! God only allowed this persecutor his day because God was willing that he be given opportunity to repent. When he did not repent, God used his persecutions to purge the people of God and sift them in preparation for Messiah.
C. Shut Up the Prophecy.
1.
Since the prophecy was for a long time hence (about 400 years from then), Daniel was to preserve the prophecy.
2.
To shut it up does not mean to keep secret, or that it is not yet to be understood. IT IS TO BE PRESERVED PERMANENTLY SO THAT IT MAY BE READ AND UNDERSTOOD WHEN THE NEED FOR IT ARRIVES!
3.
The effect upon the soul and spirit of Daniel was so exhausting that he was ill for a number of days before he could continue the king's business.
CONCLUSION
I.
GOD KNOWS THE FUTURE.
A.
The names change, the territories change, BUT THE PRINCIPLES REMAIN ETERNAL.
B.
Great nations struggle and LOCK HORNS; but out of all the agony, destruction, apostasy, social improvements, cultural developments, faith, and courage, GOD'S IMMUTABLE PURPOSES ROLL ON, WHILE MAN MAKES MORAL AND MENTAL CHOICES WHICH DETERMINE HIS ETERNAL DESTINY.
C.
Men and their wisdom come and go; men and their powers rise and fall. AND GOD'S BOOK HAS PROVEN ONCE FOR ALL THAT GOD KNOWS, SEES, OVERRULES AND USES HISTORY TO HIS OWN GLORY, AND THE GLORY OF ALL WHO ARE FAITHFUL TO HIM!
II.
WHEN MEN LOCK HORNS WITH GOD, MEN DESTROY THEMSELVES.
A.
Men will have their day.
B.
But their day has an appointed end,
C.
Oftentimes God permits the tyrants to have sway in order to sift the believers, to purge and purify their lives, and to strengthen their loyalty to Him.
D.
BUT THE BELIEVERS CAN REJOICE FOR GOD WILL ALSO HAVE HIS DAY.
Now therefore, O kings, be wise;
be warned, O rulers of the earth.
Serve the Lord with fear,
with trembling kiss the Son
lest he be angry, and you perish in the way;
for his wrath is quickly kindled.
Blessed are all who take refuge in him.
EXAMINATION EIGHT
REFUTATIONS
(Answer the following by giving the argument which will correct the statement)
1.
The ram of chapter 8 represents Russia. Refute!
2.
The little horn of chapter 8 is the same small horn of chapter 7. Refute!
3.
The 2300 evenings and mornings is the millennium. Refute!
ASSOCIATIONS
(Associate the persons or events of column one with the
correct person or event of column two)
1
2
2300 days
saints of God
Greece
Antiochus Epiphanes
the host
the pope
Medo-Persia
Babylon
Shushan
Nebuchadnezzar
Elam
period of desolation
Ulai
millennium
the glorious land
he-goat
holy one
Numma
sanctuary
city
little horn
river
Palestine
temple
angel
MEMORIZATIONS
(Fill in the blanks:)
And through his policy he shall cause ________ to prosper in his hand; and he shall ________ himself in his heart, and in their ________ shall he destroy many: he shall also stand up against the ________ ________ ________; but he shall be ________ without ________.
EXPLANATIONS
1.
Explain the meaning of the time of the end in Daniel 8:17.
2.
Explain the phrases:
the transgression that maketh desolate
the latter time of the indignation
when the transgressors are come to the full
3.
Explain the relationship of the little horn to the four notable horns of the he-goat.
4.
Explain the order to shut up the vision as it relates to many days to come.