Daniel - Chapter 8

Rams and Goats (and Monsters) are nuthin’
…beware small, angry men with god complexes

Daniel – Chapter 8

Review

1. What did we discuss in the Intro lesson?  What’s important to keep in mind as we work through Daniel?

1. This is what Habakkuk was about.
2. Daniel young (15?) when taken into Neb’s training program (after Jerusalem captured)
1. What did we discuss in Chapter 1?
   1. God will maintain His remnant; cultural assimilation will not succeed.
   2. God provides all – protection, knowledge, war spoils (to Neb), deliverance.
2. What about Chapter 2?
   1. Daniel’s God has real power.
   2. God has a plan and it involves His kingdom setup for eternity.
3. What about Chapter 3?
   1. Our boys know to obey God and He’s who to worry about.  Neb is nothing.
   2. Neb is preserved for future use by God.
4. Chapter 4?
   1. Neb is a slow learner
   2. God has patience to humble even Neb (and us).
5. Chapter 5?
   1. Contrast between Neb and B.
   2. God judges the prideful.
6. Chapter 6?
   1. God delivers again.
   2. Daniel is an amazing example of consistency and strength in his faith.
7. Chapter 7
   1. Beginning of prophesy chapters
   2. God has a plan.  Daniel gets AMAZING insights and privileges from God.

Introduction

1. How did you all do this week reading Daniel?
2. What’s your opinion of Daniel (thus far)?  Easy, hard, straightforward, confusing, basic, advanced, etc?
3. What is your opinion of this chapter?  Easy or lots of questions, difficult and convoluted?

Lesson

1. vv. 1 [READ – Dan 8:1] Timeline
   1. When – third year of king Belshazzar of Babylon.  What does this mean?

                                                               i.      It’s after Neb leaves the scene.

                                                             ii.      It’s before Daniel becomes part of B’s management team.  Therefore, he was a regular citizen.

                                                            iii.      It was before the writing on the wall and the lion’s den.

                                                            iv.      …all JUST LIKE Chapter 7 was before those things.  Chapter 8 takes place between Chapter 7 and those stories.

2. vv. 2 [READ – Dan 8:2] Location
   1. Where –

                                                               i.      Citadel of Susa.  Significance?  This was the capital of the Media-Persia empire.

                                                             ii.      In the province of Elam - This was a “suburb” of Babylon

                                                            iii.      Next to the river of Ulai (or canal) – located around the city.

3. vv. 3-4 [READ – Dan 8:3-4] The Ram
   1. The Ram

                                                               i.      In front of the canal/river.  Significant?

                                                             ii.      Two horns, but the second, while coming up later, is longer than the first.

1.       What’s this represent?  Medo-persian empire.

2.       Maybe signifies more power?  We’ll find out in the interpretation section.

                                                            iii.      Ram fought West, North, and South (not East).  If you study the maps of the Persian empire, this is accurate.

From www.teachinghearts.org:

                                                            iv.      None could stop him and he did what he wanted.  However, why not East?

1.       Because the Orient of China and India was further east and was more formidable than going North, West, and South.

4. vv. 5-8 [READ – Dan 8:5-8] Ram, meet Goat
   1. Male goat coming from the West
   2. Didn’t touch the ground – flying???
   3. Single horn then 4 horns.
   4. What does this point to?  Greek empire.

                                                               i.      Alexander the Great led Greece, they were very quick.

                                                             ii.      After Alex, what happened?  4 Generals took over different areas.

                                                            iii.      What have we discussed that also had a significance of “4”?  The 4-winged/4-headed leopard.

5. vv. 9-12 [READ – Dan 8:9-12] Another little (loud, blasphemous, obnoxious) horn.
   1. Starts small, then gets “exceedingly” great.
   2. Towards “Beautiful Land”.  What is this?  Israel / Palestine.
   3. Attacks God, removed daily worship, promoted himself to God’s level.
   4. Who is this little horn?

                                                               i.      Antichrist?  No.  That “little horn” raised out of the 4^th kingdom.  We’re in the 3^rd kingdom now.

                                                             ii.      Antiochus Epiphanes.

1.       Persecuted Jews

2.       Maccabees raised up against him

3.       Placed images of Greek gods (ie planetary gods, etc) in Jewish temples

4.       Poured swine broth over Jewish vessels.

5. V 10 – what the…?  Whether we understand the accomplishments of this “little horn” or not, we still know it’s historical, because the empire is history.  There is much uncertainty about this verse, but that’s OK.
   
   The most frequent, and I believe most likely, is that Antiochus challenged God.  After that, it gets a little sketchy, but perhaps a spiritual war between angels and demons happened.  Antiochus was given victory.
   
   He was allowed (by God, nonetheless) to do these things, including the mistreatment of Jews, the removal of their worship, etc…
5. vv. 13-19 [READ – Dan 8:13-19] Gabriel gives the scoop.
   1. What do two angels talk about?  Well, apparently they talk about things happening down here.
   2. 2300 days.  Many theories

                                                               i.      7^th-day Adventists – equated 1 day=1 year.  Therefore, the significant point in time was 2300 years from Antiochus Epiphanes, or 1843.  Wrong, history tells us.

                                                             ii.      If 2300 days is literal, then this would equate when the Syrians and A.E. were driven out of Jerusalem.  By who?  Judas “the Hammer” Maccabeus.

Jewish Festival (feast) of Lights is the celebration of this “cleansing” and rededication of the temples (John 10:22).

Then why is it not instructed or mentioned in the OT?  Because this time period (Greek empire) was BETWEEN the testaments and this event happened BETWEEN them.

3. “between the banks” – that’s kind of unusual, right?
4. Gabriel – this is the first introduction of Gabriel in the Bible, but not his only appearance.  He has a long tenure.
5. “time of the end” – what’s the meaning here?  How does it differ from the phrase “the end of time”?
6. V 18 – what’s happening here?  I think Daniel was overwhelmed and perhaps passed out.  I think Gabriel raised him and, through God, gave Daniel the strength to continue/participate.
7. V 19 – Gabriel is setting a transition from (based on OUR perspective) history to future.  This sets the relationship between A.E. to the coming Antichrist.  A.E. was a foreshadowing of the Antichrist.
6. vv. 20-26 [READ – Dan 8:20-26] The Player Bios
   1. v 20 – Ram=kings of Medes and Persians
   2. v 21 – Goat=Greece, the horn is Alexander the Great (the first king)
   3. v 22 – The later horns (Alex’s generals) didn’t have the same power he had.
   4. V 23 -
      KJV: “And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall stand up. Daniel 8:23”
      
      Another relationship between A.E. and the Antichrist is the association with Satan.  In the KJV, it states that the little horn understands dark sentences.
   5. The little horn’s power is not his own, either.  He gets help.  He prospers and is very good at destroying the holy ones.

                                                               i.      Who are the “holy ones” – likely, Israel in Daniel’s context, but can be extrapolated into the NT Church.

6. This is a GREAT comparison to Revelations 6 and 13. A.E. is just a faint image of what the Antichrist is described to do, but this is a fascinating study.

                                                               i.      The things we see that A.E. did, the Antichrist will to do the 9’s.

7. For Daniel, all of this was future.
   
   
7. vv. 27 [READ – Dan 8:27] Daniel reacts
   1. If Daniel wasn’t overwhelmed when he was chatting with Gabriel (and how couldn’t he have been), he certainly was now.

                                                               i.      He was literally sick and weak.

                                                             ii.      He was also consumed by it.  He did the king’s business, but although he thought on it, didn’t understand it.

2. Question, if Daniel wasn’t part of the Babylonian empire at this time, what was “the king’s business”?  Even if he wasn’t a servant in the king’s throne room, MAYBE he was still likely a slave, in as much that he wasn’t free to go/leave/do as he pleased 100%.  However, this is a question I have and just my opinion of an answer.

Summary

1. What’s your key verse?
   1. v 17
2. Why is extra time given to only the Median-Persian and Greek empires?  We didn’t see any of the Roman empire or any more of the Babylonian empire in this vision.
   1. Babylon is on their way out.  Roman’s don’t matter yet.  The point here is to highlight the Antichrist-foreshadower, Antiochus Epiphanes.  He comes from Syria, which was one of the 4 kingdoms divided from the Greek empire, he affects the Jews, he’s a picture (albeit a faint one) of the Antichrist.
3. Again, Daniel is given some amazing insights and privileges.  Can you imagine the weight Daniel felt of knowing these things.  He must have been very strong emotionally and mentally to be able to store and think on this information.
4. Remember, we said that certain chapters were written in different languages.  Chapters 1 – 2:3 were written in Hebrew.  Chapters 2:4-7 in Aramaic, and Chapter 8 through the end in Hebrew again. 
   1. We said that this would have appealed to different audiences.  What are the respective audiences?  (Hebrew to Jews, Aramaic to everyone else.  Aramaic was the “world language” of the day)
   2. Does that change anything?
   3. What’s the impact of this information on Daniel’s response of NOT telling anyone about his visions, but his choosing of languages when he wrote them down?

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