Daniel 8:15-27
April 1, 2024
The Interpretation of the Vision
When I, Daniel, had seen the vision, I sought to understand it. And behold, there stood before me one having the appearance of a man. And I heard a man's voice between the banks of the Ulai, and it called, “Gabriel, make this man understand the vision.” So, he came near where I stood. And when he came, I was frightened and fell on my face. But he said to me, “Understand, O son of man, that the vision is for the time of the end.”
And when he had spoken to me, I fell into a deep sleep with my face to the ground. But he touched me and made me stand up. He said, “Behold, I will make known to you what shall be at the latter end of the indignation, for it refers to the appointed time of the end. As for the ram that you saw with the two horns, these are the kings of Media and Persia. And the goat is the king of Greece. And the great horn between his eyes is the first king. As for the horn that was broken, in place of which four others arose, four kingdoms shall arise from his nation, but not with his power. And at the latter end of their kingdom, when the transgressors have reached their limit, a king of bold face, one who understands riddles, shall arise. His power shall be great—but not by his own power, and he shall cause fearful destruction and shall succeed in what he does, and destroy mighty men and the people who are the saints. By his cunning, he shall make deceit prosper under his hand, and in his own mind, he shall become great. Without warning, he shall destroy many. And he shall even rise up against the Prince of princes, and he shall be broken—but by no human hand. The vision of the evenings and the mornings that has been told is true, but seal up the vision, for it refers to many days from now.”
And I, Daniel, was overcome and lay sick for some days. Then I rose and went about the king's business, but I was appalled by the vision and did not understand it.
I can only imagine David’s shock at hearing the voice from heaven saying, “Gabriel, make this man understand the vision.” You and I would have hit the ground faster than Daniel. I believe God is often speaking to us, but we will not slow down and sit in a quiet place and listen for His voice. Blaise Pascal, who lived a very short life of 37 years, left this counsel: “All men's miseries derive from not being able to sit in a quiet room alone.” It is not a new problem; he lived in the 1600s. But Daniel knew that, and he waited on God to speak, and he did what God told him to do.
Gabriel explained that what Daniel had seen was something that was at the end of what is referred to as time. The Ram with the two horns will be the Media and Persia, or as it is referred to, Irian. The Goat that comes with one horn that is broken and four horns come out, and one grows bigger than the others, is Greece. In verse 8, we see four kingdoms come from Greece, and they were the “four kingdoms”: Macedonia and Greece, Thrace and Asia Minor, Egypt and Palestine, and Syria and Persia. This has taken place, and it was after the “first king” of Greece, Alexander the Great. The phrase “the vision of evenings and mornings” describes the period when this vision would be fulfilled – four centuries later, in 167-164 B.C., and in a future Antichrist. Daniel must seal the vision because of its impact on prophecy. Daniel sealed up the vision by recording it. The prophecy of Daniel carries the principle of dual fulfillment. Both Antiochus and the future Antichrist are in view. Antiochus only foreshadows the Antichrist.
This we know from the book of Revelation, we see the Man of Lawlessness. The future Antichrist will form alliances with other nations and achieve world influence, and will attack the Jews. The coming Antichrist will do much greater violence than Antiochus did. The future Antichrist will gain power through a peace program. Direct judgment from God terminates his
rule. The verses are in green at the end or by Grant Richison
From the Back Porch,
Bob Rice
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