Daniel 8 March 9, 2001

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Daniel 8

March 9, 2001

Studies in the Scriptures ConferenceAlan Yeater, Speaker

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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)

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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)

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Date and Recipient of the Vision

Date: 551/550 B.C. (7:1; 8:1)Chapters 7 and 8 occur prior to chapter 5Chapter 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 PersiansDaniel: there in person or in vision?

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Two-Horned Ram (3-4)

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Single-Horned Goat (5-8)

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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.”

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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.”

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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.

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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.

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“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)



Differences:Horn of Ch. 7 is from the 4th world kingdom (7:7)Horn of Ch. 8 is from the splintered 3rd kingdom (8:21–23)

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Attack on “Beautiful Land” (9)Persecution and end of sacrifices (10-12)The end of the vision (13-14)



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“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)

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“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 70th week is utterly without exegetical support from this context or any combination

of texts!” (Butler, p. 310)

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Identity of the Ram and Male Goat (20-21)

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Daniel’s Enhanced Understanding (19-26)


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Daniel Meets the Interpreter (15-17)Daniel’s Enhanced Understanding (19-26)


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Identity of the Ram and Male Goat (20-21)Identity of the Four Horns (22)

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Daniel Meets the Interpreter (15-17)Daniel’s Enhanced Understanding (19-26)


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Identity of the Ram and Male Goat (20-21)Identity of the Four Horns (22)Identity and Power of the Little Horn (23-25)

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Antiochus IV — The “Little Horn”Ruled Syria 175–163 B.C.

Antiochus Epiphanes “The Glorious Manifestation”

BASILEUS ANTIOCHOU THEOU EPIPHANOU

(King Antiochus God Manifest)

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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 6:5-13

1 Maccabees 1:1 – 6:16; 2 Macc. 9

Ruled Syria 175–163 B.C.Antiochus Epiphanes

“The Glorious Manifestation”

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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)

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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. 22:10In 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)

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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)

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God Knows the FutureThe 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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Daniel 8 March 9, 2001