1 Daniel 8 March 9, 2001 Studies in the Scriptures Conference Alan Yeater, Speaker
2 The Vision Described (3-14) Two-Horned Ram (3-4) Single-Horned Goat (5-8) Four horns arise in its place The little horn out of one of the horns (9-14) Attack on “Beautiful Land” (9) Persecution and end of sacrifices (10-12) The end of the vision (13-14)
3 The Vision Explained (15-27) Daniel Meets the Interpreter (15-17) The “Time of the End” Daniel’s Reaction (18) Daniel’s Enhanced Understanding (19-26) Identity of the Ram and Male Goat (20-21) Identity of the Four Horns (22) Identity and Power of the Little Horn (23-25) Destiny of the Little Horn (25) Veracity of the Vision Confirmed (26) Daniel Exhausted and Perplexed (27)
4 Date and Recipient of the Vision Date: 551/550 B. C. (7:1; 8:1) Chapters 7 and 8 occur prior to chapter 5 Chapter 8 is subsequent to chapter 7 Daniel: a vision appeared (8:1) Described: a vision in the city of Susa Later became the summer capital of the Persians Daniel: there in person or in vision?
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6 The Vision Described (3-14) Two-Horned Ram (3-4)
7 The Vision Described (3-14) Two-Horned Ram (3-4) Single-Horned Goat (5-8)
8 Four horns arise in its place The Vision Described (3-14) Two-Horned Ram (3-4) Single-Horned Goat (5-8)
9 The Vision Described (3-14) Two-Horned Ram (3-4) The little horn out of one of the horns (9-14) Four horns arise in its place Single-Horned Goat (5-8)
10 Little Horns: Similarities and Differences Similarities: Both arrogantly oppose God (7:8; 8:11) “… there before me was … another horn, a little one, … had eyes like the eyes of a man and a mouth that spoke boastfully.”
11 Little Horns: Similarities and Differences Similarities: Both arrogantly oppose God (7:8; 8:11) “… there before me was … another horn, a little one, … had eyes like the eyes of a man and a mouth that spoke boastfully.” “set itself up to be as great as the Prince of the host; it took away the daily sacrifice from him, and the place of his sanctuary was brought low.”
12 Little Horns: Similarities and Differences Similarities: Both arrogantly oppose God (7:8; 8:11) Both persecute God’s people (7:21; 8:24) As I watched, this horn was waging war against the saints and defeating them.
13 Little Horns: Similarities and Differences Similarities: Both arrogantly oppose God (7:8; 8:11) Both persecute God’s people (7:21; 8:24) As I watched, this horn was waging war against the saints and defeating them. … He will cause astounding devastation … He will destroy the mighty men and the holy people.
14 “It is important to note that the ‘little horn here grows out of one of the four which definitely belong to the Grecian empire. It cannot, therefore be the same little horn of Chapter 7 which … (is) … connected to the fourth beast. (Butler, p. 305) Little Horns: Similarities and Differences Similarities: Both arrogantly oppose God (7:8; 8:11) Both persecute God’s people (7:21; 8:24) Differences: Horn of Ch. 7 is from the 4 th world kingdom (7:7) Horn of Ch. 8 is from the splintered 3 rd kingdom (8:21–23)
15 The Vision Described (3-14) Two-Horned Ram (3-4) The little horn out of one of the horns (9-14) Attack on “Beautiful Land” (9) Persecution and end of sacrifices (10-12) The end of the vision (13-14) Four horns arise in its place Single-Horned Goat (5-8)
16 “2,300 Evenings and Mornings” Various Views: Refers to number of sacrifices Literal 3½ years (cf. Dan. 7:25) The period of desolation “There would be no basis whatever to interpret each day as a year, thus arriving at a temple cleansing millenniums after the Grecian empire… It must be understood that this temple cleansing stated in Daniel 8:14 does not historically reach past the empire of Greece.” (Simpson, p. 102)
17 The Vision Explained (15-27) Daniel Meets the Interpreter (15-17) The “Time of the End”
18 “Time of the End” Does not say “the end of time” Rather, “the time of the end” (17; cf. Hab. 2:2-3) End in view is the desolation of sanctuary (13) Vision must be related to the Grecian kings (23) “The view that the ‘time of the end’ here has reference to the great tribulations, supposedly to occur during the latter half of the 70 th week is utterly without exegetical support from this context or any combination of texts!” (Butler, p. 310)
19 The Vision Explained (15-27) Daniel Meets the Interpreter (15-17) The “Time of the End” Daniel’s Reaction (18) Daniel’s Enhanced Understanding (19-26) Identity of the Ram and Male Goat (20-21)
20 The Vision Explained (15-27) Daniel Meets the Interpreter (15-17) The “Time of the End” Daniel’s Enhanced Understanding (19-26) Identity of the Ram and Male Goat (20-21)
21 The Vision Explained (15-27) Daniel Meets the Interpreter (15-17) Daniel’s Enhanced Understanding (19-26) Identity of the Ram and Male Goat (20-21)
22 The Vision Explained (15-27) Daniel’s Enhanced Understanding (19-26) Identity of the Ram and Male Goat (20-21)
23 The Vision Explained (15-27) Daniel’s Enhanced Understanding (19-26) Identity of the Ram and Male Goat (20-21)
24 The Vision Explained (15-27) Daniel’s Enhanced Understanding (19-26) Identity of the Ram and Male Goat (20-21) Identity of the Four Horns (22)
25 The Vision Explained (15-27) Daniel’s Enhanced Understanding (19-26) Identity of the Ram and Male Goat (20-21) Identity of the Four Horns (22)
26 The Vision Explained (15-27) Daniel Meets the Interpreter (15-17) Daniel’s Enhanced Understanding (19-26) Identity of the Ram and Male Goat (20-21) Identity of the Four Horns (22)
27 The Vision Explained (15-27) Daniel Meets the Interpreter (15-17) The “Time of the End” Daniel’s Enhanced Understanding (19-26) Identity of the Ram and Male Goat (20-21) Identity of the Four Horns (22)
28 The Vision Explained (15-27) Daniel Meets the Interpreter (15-17) The “Time of the End” Daniel’s Reaction (18) Daniel’s Enhanced Understanding (19-26) Identity of the Ram and Male Goat (20-21) Identity of the Four Horns (22) Identity and Power of the Little Horn (23-25)
29 Antiochus IV — The “Little Horn” Ruled Syria 175–163 B. C. Antiochus Epiphanes “The Glorious Manifestation” BASILEUS ANTIOCHOU THEOU EPIPHANOU (King Antiochus God Manifest)
30 Antiochus IV — The “Little Horn” “And indeed it so came to pass, that our nation suffered these things under Antiochus Epiphanes, according to Daniel's vision, and what he wrote many years before they came to pass.” (Josephus, Antiquities X:11:7) Identified by Josephus Died in Persia in misery: 1 Maccabees 6: Maccabees 1:1 – 6:16; 2 Macc. 9 Ruled Syria 175–163 B. C. Antiochus Epiphanes “The Glorious Manifestation”
31 The Vision Explained (15-27) Daniel Meets the Interpreter (15-17) The “Time of the End” Daniel’s Reaction (18) Daniel’s Enhanced Understanding (19-26) Identity of the Ram and Male Goat (20-21) Identity of the Four Horns (22) Identity and Power of the Little Horn (23-25) Veracity of the Vision Confirmed (26) Destiny of the Little Horn (25)
32 Seal Up the Vision (26) “Seal” defined: “5640. catham, (Num. 24:15), saw-tham'; a prim. root; to stop up; by impl. to repair; fig. to keep secret:-- closed up, hidden, secret, shut out (up), stop.” (QuickVerse) The shutting up is here done with the purpose of keeping the vision intact and we have therefore translated” (cf. Rev. 22:10) [Leupold, p. 370] Contrast the commands to Daniel and John regarding “seal up”: John is given the opposite command in Rev. 22:10 In Dan. 8:26 we are told the reason for shutting up the vision is that “it pertains to many days in the future.” The vision was received in 550 B. C. and was completed by 164 B. C. That is less than 400 years. We invite you to compare Daniel 8:26 with Revelation 1:3, and 22:6, 10. (McGuiggan., p. 136)
33 The Vision Explained (15-27) Daniel Meets the Interpreter (15-17) The “Time of the End” Daniel’s Reaction (18) Daniel’s Enhanced Understanding (19-26) Identity of the Ram and Male Goat (20-21) Identity of the Four Horns (22) Identity and Power of the Little Horn (23-25) Destiny of the Little Horn (25) Veracity of the Vision Confirmed (26) Daniel Exhausted and Perplexed (27)
34 God Knows the Future The names change, the territories change, but the principles remain eternal Great nations struggle, but out of all the agony, destruction, apostasy, faith, and courage, God’s immutable purposes roll on, while man makes moral choices which determine his eternal destiny 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!
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