Sermon - Daniel 8:15-27 - Trust - Littleby Baptist Church - July 26, 2020

Last week we started looking at the second apocalyptic vision given to Daniel. In some ways it mirrors part of the vision given in chapter seven but it does focus more on the third kingdom and how God uses it to bring about judgement on His people who will turn their back on Him.

The ram was equivalent, to the Mede and Persian Empire, that ruled for a period of time. The ram was then attacked and beaten by a goat that moved so fast that it floated through the air and it had a larger horn than the ram. Which meant that the goat was more powerful than the ram. When we compare to the vision in chapter seven the ram was the second beast and the goat was the third.

The goat rules for a while until its large and powerful horn is broken. This symbolizes the death of Alexander the Great and then four horns come forward which represents the splitting of the kingdom into four. While none of these horns grow to the size of the original, one of them comes to the forefront and represents king Antiochus who set himself up as a god and expected everyone, include the Jewish people he conquered, to worship him.

For us, we can look back and know that these events took place roughly 170 to 160 BC. For Daniel they were part of his future. Daniel received this vision some 380 years before the temple was rededicated after Antiochus’ death.

Daniel 8:15-16

15 While I, Daniel, was watching the vision and trying to understand it, there stood before me someone who appeared to be a man. 16 I heard a human voice calling from the middle of the Ulai: “Gabriel, explain the vision to this man.””

Historically Daniel has been the man God used to provide the answers, yet here he is once again not understanding a vision he has received. Thankfully, someone intervened. It is not clear who, but someone shouted out to the angel Gabriel and asked him to explain the meaning of this vision to Daniel.

Daniel 8:17

17 So he approached where I was standing; when he came near, I was terrified and fell facedown. “Son of man,” he said to me, “understand that the vision refers to the time of the end.””

Two phrases to clarify in this verse.

Normally when we see the phrase ‘Son of man’ it is in reference to ‘The Son of Man’ our Lord Jesus. Here it is stating that Daniel is ‘a’ son of man, meaning he is not some heavenly being. When the phrase is used to refer to Jesus, it is more of a title as ‘The’ Son of Man.

The other is ‘the vision refers to the time of the end.’ Most of the time when we read phrases similar to this when looking at apocalyptic visions it tends to point to the ‘End of Days’, as in in Jesus’ second coming or the Tribulation that leads up to it. I did read one theory that seemed a little far fetched that talked about how this horn that represents Antiochus’ kingdom could eventually, possibly, maybe, evolve into one of the kingdoms represented by the ten horns on the fourth beast.

While God is able to do anything He wants, these events and these verses do not point to that. I will say that there are similarities to what we see here in this vision and what happens with the antichrist, but I would say it is more of a foreshadowing than a direct prophecy. Referring ‘to the time of the end’ here is talking about the end of what we will call the prophetic window we are looking at. Kind of like talking about the end of a tv show, book, or movie. In this case it would be referring to 164 BC when the Temple was rededicated to the One True God.

Daniel 8:18-19

18 While he was speaking to me, I fell into a deep sleep, with my face to the ground. Then he touched me, made me stand up, 19 and said, “I am here to tell you what will happen at the conclusion of the time of wrath, because it refers to the appointed time of the end.”

The wrath here is referring to a time of persecution the Jews will face, that at this point in the explanation we are told it will take place at some point in the future. The following verses clarify things a bit for us.

Daniel 8:20-21

20 The two-horned ram that you saw represents the kings of Media and Persia. 21 The shaggy goat represents the king of Greece, and the large horn between his eyes represents the first king.”

We touched on some of what Gabriel is saying last week. The ram is the Mede and Persian Empire, which was the second beast from the last vision. They extended their empire to the west, to the north, and to the south with an army that is estimated to have had more than 2 million soldiers.

Gabriel goes on to explain that the goat represents the kingdom of Greece or what we were calling Macedonia as we looked at chapter seven. The goat is the third beast that looked like a leopard that ultimately split into four kingdoms. Historically Alexander’s father united most of what would form the kingdom of Greece, but Alexander is viewed as the true first king.

A little over 200 years after Daniel received this vision, Alexander led a small, fast, and powerful army against the Persians in 334 BC. He targeted the Persians out of revenge for them defeating the Greeks 150 years earlier. As we read in verse 7 ‘the ram was not strong enough to stand against him.’ The Mede and Persian Empire was helpless against Alexander and his army.

Daniel 8:22

22 The four horns that took the place of the broken horn represent four kingdoms. They will rise from that nation, but without its power.”

Alexander died during his prime and as the kingdom was still growing. It ended up being split into four kingdoms represented by the four horns. These four horns are equal to the four heads found on the third beast in chapter seven. Macedonia and Greece were one. Thrace and Bithynia were the second. Egypt was the third and Syria was the fourth. Each one of these nations ruled, but none of them were equal to Macedonia under Alexander.

Daniel 8:23

23 Near the end of their kingdoms, when the rebels have reached the full measure of their sin, a ruthless king, skilled in intrigue, will come to the throne.”

Now we jump forward another 150 years or so and a king will rise out of Syria. One of the four horns will grow at the same time the Jewish people will have turned their backs on the One True God.

King Antiochus was a ruthless man. He killed his own bother and had no respect for the young or old. He would kill innocent people as quickly as he would soldiers who were fighting against him. He was cunning, deceitful, and a master of manipulation.

Daniel 8:24

24 His power will be great, but it will not be his own. He will cause outrageous destruction and succeed in whatever he does. He will destroy the powerful along with the holy people.”

King Antiochus will have power that is not his own. He will accomplish things that he would not be able to do on his own if God was not using him to bring judgement on the Jewish people. We saw the same thing when god used Nebuchadnezzar to punish Judah and plunge them into the seventy-year exile. Antiochus will invade Israel and he will slaughter people, destroy towns, and stop them from worshipping their God.

With God giving Antiochus the power he needs, there is no doubt that he will be successful in all that he does.

Daniel 8:25

25 He will cause deceit to prosper through his cunning and by his influence, and in his own mind he will exalt himself. He will destroy many in a time of peace; he will even stand against the Prince of princes. Yet he will be broken—not by human hands.”

In verse twelve it stated that this horn, will throw ‘truth to the ground’. Meaning he will distort and destroy the Word of God. He will turn people away from following the One True God. King Antiochus did just that and he tried to elevate himself to the level of a god. The king took the name Antiochus, the Illustrious god and expected all who he conquered to worship him. He had altars setup in Jerusalem, required unclean sacrifices to be offered, and ordered the Jews to eat pork. All things that would throw ‘truth to the ground’, exalt himself, and ultimately challenge the Prince of princes our Lord Jesus.

King Antiochus set himself up as a god, forced people to worship him, destroyed those who resisted, and challenged God.

‘Yet he will be broken-not by human hands.’ Is Gabriel telling Daniel that the man who challenges God and does all of these horrible things will not die at the hands of man, but by the hands of God. King Antiochus died a very painful death on his way to squash a rebellion in Judea. God may have used the king to punish Israel, but God did not let the king’s blasphemy continue.

Daniel 8:26

26 The vision of the evenings and the mornings that has been told is true. Now you are to seal up the vision because it refers to many days in the future.”

Gabriel confirmed that the vision showed that the people will turn away from God for 2,300 evenings and mornings. Seems like a long time, but it is a reassurance that the persecution will not last forever and that eventually the people will turn back to God. Which according to history is the time frame form when Antiochus first attacked Israel to the point that the temple was restored to a house of worship of the One Ture God.

By saying that the vision is to be sealed up, Daniel is being told to document it, preserve it, so that those who live through it would understand what was going on. As Daniel oversaw the writing of the Book of Daniel, he made sure to include this so that those living in the future could reference it.

Daniel 8:27

27 I, Daniel, was overcome and lay sick for days. Then I got up and went about the king’s business. I was greatly disturbed by the vision and could not understand it.”

Even with Gabriel taking the time to explain the vision it was overwhelming. Daniel understood what was going to happen, he knew that kings and kingdoms were going to rise and fall, but he did not know when it was going to happen. All he knew was that it will be sometime in the future. He was disturbed by the events and by knowing that his people would turn their back on God once again. I think it would be disheartening for a man who has followed God to the best of his ability to know that this was going to happen.

Now that this vision is in our past, one of the things we can learn from it is that the visions that God gives are true. It is confirmation for us that God knows the future and at times He shares bits and pieces of it with His creation. History has shown us that this vision is true, which should give us the reassurance that the rest of God’s Word is true. It should help us to trust in the other prophesies found in the Bible. It should help us to trust in what the Good Book says, even if we do not understand all of the details.

Visions like this remind us that God knows all and that He is in absolute control.

If God knows our future and if He is in Control of all things, we need to trust in Him.

Trust in His love. Trust that His words are true. Trust that He will never leave us or forsake us. Trust that as followers of Christ we can trust in our God.




God Bless,

Robert

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