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Scripture Reading: Dan. 8; 9:27; 11:2-4, 30-35; 12:3; Rev. 13:5-7; 17:11; 19:20; 2 Thes. 2:3-4
In chapter seven Daniel saw a vision of the four beasts out of the Mediterranean Sea. That vision was a brief sketch without much detail. But chapters eight and eleven give many details concerning the second and third beasts, which correspond respectively to the Medo-Persian and Grecian Empires. In this message we will cover the vision of a ram and a male goat with its successors recorded in chapter eight of Daniel.
As we read Daniel 8, we may wonder what this chapter has to do with Israel. The Medo-Persian Empire, the Grecian Empire, and the Roman Empire were on the three continents of Asia, Africa, and Europe. At the intersection of these three continents is Israel. Throughout the ages Israel has suffered a great deal because of the fighting between these empires on these three continents, of which Israel is the center. Israel has often been the battleground. Due to the trouble and damage caused by this fighting, it has been difficult for Israel, God's elect, to be something truly according to God's eternal economy. This is the reason that God came in to show Daniel vision after vision concerning the world situation. Whereas chapters nine and twelve are concerned with Israel directly, chapter eight with its vision regarding Medo-Persia and Greece and chapter eleven with its vision regarding the successors of Alexander the Great are concerned with Israel indirectly.
The year of this vision is given in 8:1. "In the third year of the reign of Belshazzar the king a vision appeared to me, Daniel, after the one that appeared to me at the beginning." This was about 552 B.C.
Daniel 8:2 tells of the place of this vision. "I watched in the vision, and it happened that while I watched, I was in the fortress of Shushan, which is in the province of Elam; and I watched in the vision, and I was beside the river Ulai."
The vision in 8:3-14 concerns a ram and a male goat with its successors.
Verses 3 and 4 speak of a ram.
The ram signifies Medo-Persia (vv. 3a, 20; 11:2).
The ram was standing before the river (8:3b). This signifies that the ram became strong by the river Ulai.
The ram had two horns, and "the two horns were high, but one was higher than the other; and the higher one came up last" (v. 3c). These two horns signify Media and Persia. Persia with its king Cyrus (Ezra 1:1), which came up last, became higher than Media.
Daniel saw the ram pushing westward, northward, and southward (Dan. 8:4a). This signifies that Medo-Persia conquered Babylon on the west, Assyria on the north, and Egypt on the south.
"No beast could stand before him, and there was no one who could deliver from his power" (v. 4b). This signifies Medo-Persia's subduing power.
"He did as he pleased, and he became great" (v. 4c). This indicates that Medo-Persia had no fear of God and became arrogant in itself. Eventually, God dealt with Medo-Persia by raising up Alexander the Great.
Verses 5 through 8a speak of a male goat.
The male goat signifies Greece with Alexander the Great (vv. 5a, 21a; 11:3).
This male goat came from the west (8:5b). This signifies that it came from Europe, west of the Mediterranean Sea.
The goat came over the face of the whole earth without touching the ground (v. 5c). This signifies its swift movement over the earth.
The goat had a conspicuous horn between its eyes (v. 5d; 11:3). This signifies Alexander the Great as an extraordinary horn distinguished by his two sharp eyes. He was very intelligent.
The goat came up to the ram in his mighty wrath, struck the ram, broke his two horns, threw him to the ground, and trampled him. The ram had no strength to withstand him, and there was none to deliver the ram from his power (8:6-7). This indicates that Alexander the Great conquered Medo-Persia and destroyed it.
The male goat became very great (v. 8a). This indicates that Alexander the Great became arrogant in himself.
Once the male goat became strong, the great horn was broken (v. 8a). This signifies that once Alexander the Great, the great horn of Greece, became strong in power, he died.
Verses 8b through 14 speak of the successors of the male goat.
In the place of the great horn, four conspicuous ones came up toward the four winds of heaven (v. 8b; 11:4). This signifies that in the place of Alexander the Great, his four generals (corresponding to the four wings and the four heads in 7:6), Cassander, Lysimachus, Ptolemy, and Seleucus, rose up from the four ends of his empire to form nations in Macedonia, Asia Minor, Egypt, and Syria, respectively. According to the human point of view, the Grecian Empire ended with the death of Alexander the Great. But in the sight of God, the Grecian Empire continued to exist in the four empires formed by Alexander the Great's four generals. Eventually, these four empires were merged and formed into two empires, one on the south (Egypt) and the other on the north (Syria). Chapter eleven describes the warfare between these two empires in the territory of Israel.
Out of one of the four horns came forth a little horn (8:9a). This little horn signifies Antiochus Epiphanes from Syria in 175-164 B.C.
The little horn grew very great toward the south, toward the east, and toward that which is beautiful (v. 9b). This signifies that he expanded very much toward Egypt on the south, toward Syria on the east, and toward Israel, which is beautiful. The expression "that which is beautiful" refers to the beautiful land of Israel.
The little horn grew great, as high as the host of heaven, and he caused some of the host and some of the stars to fall to the earth, and he trampled them (v. 10; 11:30b-35). This signifies that he became great in power and persecuted the saints (signified by the host of heaven and the stars — 12:3). In all these evil things he typifies the coming Antichrist (Rev. 13:5-7; 2 Thes. 2:3b-4).
The little horn grew in greatness to that of the Prince of the host (God); and from Him the daily sacrifice was taken away, and the place of His sanctuary was thrown down (Dan. 8:11; 11:31). In all these evils also he typifies Antichrist (9:27).
A host (an army of Israel) was given to him for war against the daily sacrifice because of transgression. He cast truth down to the ground, and he took action and prospered (8:12). He stopped the daily sacrifices in the temple and defiled it with pigs and with fornication. Furthermore, because of the transgression of the Jewish people, he cast truth to the ground. This means that there was no righteousness or justice.
Verse 23 speaks of him as the king that would arise, being of fierce countenance and skilled in ambiguities. He would speak in such a manner that his word could be interpreted in many different ways.
His power would be mighty but not by his own power. He would destroy in an extraordinary manner, destroying mighty men and the holy people (v. 24).
Through his craftiness he would also cause deceit to prosper in his hand. He would magnify himself in his heart, and he would destroy many who were complacently secure (v. 25a).
He would stand up against the Prince of princes (God), but he would be broken, yet not by human hands (v. 25b). In all these items also he typifies Antichrist (Rev. 13:6; 17:11; 19:20).
The days for him, Antiochus Epiphanes, to do evil things in the holy land would be two thousand three hundred days, from about 171 B.C. until December 25, 165 B.C., which would be the day when the Jewish hero Maccabeus would cleanse the sanctuary after defeating Antiochus Epiphanes (Dan. 8:13-14, 26).
In 8:15-27 we are given the interpretation of the vision concerning a ram and a male goat with its successors.
