(Daniel 8:1-8) In the third year of the reign of Belshazzar the king a vision appeared to me, Daniel, subsequent to the one which appeared to me previously. 2 I looked in the vision, and while I was looking I was in the citadel of Susa, which is in the province of Elam; and I looked in the vision and I myself was beside the Ulai Canal. 3 Then I lifted my eyes and looked, and behold, a ram which had two horns was standing in front of the canal. Now the two horns were long, but one was longer than the other, with the longer one coming up last. 4 I saw the ram butting westward, northward, and southward, and no other beasts could stand before him nor was there anyone to rescue from his power, but he did as he pleased and magnified himself.
5 While I was observing, behold, a male goat was coming from the west over the surface of the whole earth without touching the ground; and the goat had a conspicuous horn between his eyes. 6 He came up to the ram that had the two horns, which I had seen standing in front of the canal, and rushed at him in his mighty wrath. 7 I saw him come beside the ram, and he was enraged at him; and he struck the ram and shattered his two horns, and the ram had no strength to withstand him. So he hurled him to the ground and trampled on him, and there was none to rescue the ram from his power. 8 Then the male goat magnified himself exceedingly. But as soon as he was mighty, the large horn was broken; and in its place there came up four conspicuous horns toward the four winds of heaven.
In this next part of the vision, which is twofold, the "host of heaven" represents the Israelites. Part of this vision has already been fulfilled.
Regarding the prophecy for the Tribulation, the "small horn" which will continue to grow, represents the Antichrist, whose kingdom will continue to spread throughout the world in order to gain worldwide control. During this time, he will kill many people, including many Israelites. The Antichrist will even set himself up as the only one to worship, in order to rival and replace Jesus (the Commander of the host).
It is because of the Israelites' sin that God will allow them to suffer in the Tribulation's catastrophes, and at the hand of the Antichrist. Since the Israelites have continued to run away from the God of truth, they will experience a government ruled by a liar...
(Daniel 8:9-12) Out of one of them came forth a rather small horn which grew exceedingly great toward the south, toward the east, and toward the Beautiful Land. 10 It grew up to the host of heaven and caused some of the host and some of the stars to fall to the earth, and it trampled them down. 11 It even magnified itself to be equal with the Commander of the host; and it removed the regular sacrifice from Him, and the place of His sanctuary was thrown down. 12 And on account of transgression the host will be given over to the horn along with the regular sacrifice; and it will fling truth to the ground and perform its will and prosper.
Daniel now heard two angels discuss the vision. One of the angels had a question, and the other angel answered it.
During the Tribulation, the Israelites will turn their hearts to Jesus after they see their "signs" (the judgments upon the earth), and will wait for their Messiah to return in order to set up the Millennial kingdom - with "the holy place properly restored"...
(Daniel 8:13-14) Then I heard a holy one speaking, and another holy one said to that particular one who was speaking, “How long will the vision about the regular sacrifice apply, while the transgression causes horror, so as to allow both the holy place and the host to be trampled?” 14 He said to me, “For 2,300 evenings and mornings; then the holy place will be properly restored.”
Wanting the dream to be interpreted, Daniel still only heard the voice of the one angel, but now saw the other angel as a "man" standing before him - this angel being Gabriel.
"Gabriel" (meaning "hero of God") was often used by God to deliver important messages to individuals.
At first, Daniel struggled to stay awake while in Gabriel's presence, but Gabriel's touch gave him strength to stand...
(Daniel 8:15-18) When I, Daniel, had seen the vision, I sought to understand it; and behold, standing before me was one who looked like a man. 16 And I heard the voice of a man between the banks of Ulai, and he called out and said, “Gabriel, give this man an understanding of the vision.” 17 So he came near to where I was standing, and when he came I was frightened and fell on my face; but he said to me, “Son of man, understand that the vision pertains to the time of the end.”
18 Now while he was talking with me, I sank into a deep sleep with my face to the ground; but he touched me and made me stand upright.
As already stated, the first bit of the vision covered a prophecy that has already been fulfilled and is confirmed in our history books. This includes the twofold prophecy.
The final form of "Rome" will rise to power during the Tribulation.
Their king will be the Antichrist who will be empowered by Satan - to do Satan's will - which will be to cause destruction in attempts to kill all of God's children, the Israelites...
(Daniel 8:19-27) He said, “Behold, I am going to let you know what will occur at the final period of the indignation, for it pertains to the appointed time of the end. 20 The ram which you saw with the two horns represents the kings of Media and Persia. 21 The shaggy goat represents the kingdom of Greece, and the large horn that is between his eyes is the first king. 22 The broken horn and the four horns that arose in its place represent four kingdoms which will arise from his nation, although not with his power.
23 “In the latter period of their rule, when the transgressors have run their course, a king will arise, insolent and skilled in intrigue.
24 “His power will be mighty, but not by his own power, and he will destroy to an extraordinary degree and prosper and perform his will; he will destroy mighty men and the holy people.
25 “And through his shrewdness he will cause deceit to succeed by his influence; and he will magnify himself in his heart, and he will destroy many while they are at ease. He will even oppose the Prince of princes, but he will be broken without human agency.
26 “The vision of the evenings and mornings which has been told is true; but keep the vision secret, for it pertains to many days in the future.”
24 “His power will be mighty, but not by his own power, and he will destroy to an extraordinary degree and prosper and perform his will; he will destroy mighty men and the holy people.
25 “And through his shrewdness he will cause deceit to succeed by his influence; and he will magnify himself in his heart, and he will destroy many while they are at ease. He will even oppose the Prince of princes, but he will be broken without human agency.
26 “The vision of the evenings and mornings which has been told is true; but keep the vision secret, for it pertains to many days in the future.”
27 Then I, Daniel, was exhausted and sick for days. Then I got up again and carried on the king’s business; but I was astounded at the vision, and there was none to explain it.
Within the vision, Daniel learned that there would be success for Israel in having all their covenants fulfilled. This will happen when their Messiah, the Prince of princes, will come to earth to bring about justice and peace, and set up the Millennial kingdom.
Daniel wanted to know exactly WHEN this would happen. So Daniel committed himself to prayer. And in his prayers, he sought out forgiveness of sins, even confessing the sins of the Israelites as a whole.
The Israelites were in Babylonian captivity because of their sin, and if they would have confessed their sins and turned back to God, they would have been back in their promised land. And when Jesus, their Messiah, came to earth the first time, had they received Him, they would have gone into the Millennial kingdom. And if the Israelites would confess their sins, they would avoid going through the Tribulation.
Of course, God knew they would reject Jesus and crucify Him. This was already prophesied in Genesis 3:15 And this was necessary to bring about salvation for all people.
Jesus will come again, at the end of the Tribulation to fulfill all covenants.
Daniel knew some of this already, because there were other prophecies in scripture which he had read. But Daniel desired to know when all of this would happen! Daniel wanted more of an understanding - so he prayed!...
(Daniel 9:1-19) In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of Median descent, who was made king over the kingdom of the Chaldeans— 2 in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, observed in the books the number of the years which was revealed as the word of the Lord to Jeremiah the prophet for the completion of the desolations of Jerusalem, namely, seventy years. 3 So I gave my attention to the Lord God to seek Him by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth and ashes. 4 I prayed to the Lord my God and confessed and said, “Alas, O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant and lovingkindness for those who love Him and keep His commandments, 5 we have sinned, committed iniquity, acted wickedly and rebelled, even turning aside from Your commandments and ordinances. 6 Moreover, we have not listened to Your servants the prophets, who spoke in Your name to our kings, our princes, our fathers and all the people of the land.
7 “Righteousness belongs to You, O Lord, but to us open shame, as it is this day—to the men of Judah, the inhabitants of Jerusalem and all Israel, those who are nearby and those who are far away in all the countries to which You have driven them, because of their unfaithful deeds which they have committed against You. 8 Open shame belongs to us, O Lord, to our kings, our princes and our fathers, because we have sinned against You. 9 To the Lord our God belong compassion and forgiveness, for we have rebelled against Him; 10 nor have we obeyed the voice of the Lord our God, to walk in His teachings which He set before us through His servants the prophets. 11 Indeed all Israel has transgressed Your law and turned aside, not obeying Your voice; so the curse has been poured out on us, along with the oath which is written in the law of Moses the servant of God, for we have sinned against Him. 12 Thus He has confirmed His words which He had spoken against us and against our rulers who ruled us, to bring on us great calamity; for under the whole heaven there has not been done anything like what was done to Jerusalem. 13 As it is written in the law of Moses, all this calamity has come on us; yet we have not sought the favor of the Lord our God by turning from our iniquity and giving attention to Your truth.14 Therefore the Lord has kept the calamity in store and brought it on us; for the Lord our God is righteous with respect to all His deeds which He has done, but we have not obeyed His voice.
15 “And now, O Lord our God, who have brought Your people out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand and have made a name for Yourself, as it is this day—we have sinned, we have been wicked. 16 O Lord, in accordance with all Your righteous acts, let now Your anger and Your wrath turn away from Your city Jerusalem, Your holy mountain; for because of our sins and the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and Your people have become a reproach to all those around us. 17 So now, our God, listen to the prayer of Your servant and to his supplications, and for Your sake, O Lord, let Your face shine on Your desolate sanctuary. 18 O my God, incline Your ear and hear! Open Your eyes and see our desolations and the city which is called by Your name; for we are not presenting our supplications before You on account of any merits of our own, but on account of Your great compassion. 19 O Lord, hear! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, listen and take action! For Your own sake, O my God, do not delay, because Your city and Your people are called by Your name.”
Then Gabriel appeared to Daniel again to deliver a message...
(Daniel 9:20-23) Now while I was speaking and praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the Lord my God in behalf of the holy mountain of my God, 21 while I was still speaking in prayer, then the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision previously, came to me in my extreme weariness about the time of the evening offering. 22 He gave me instruction and talked with me and said, “O Daniel, I have now come forth to give you insight with understanding. 23 At the beginning of your supplications the command was issued, and I have come to tell you, for you are highly esteemed; so give heed to the message and gain understanding of the vision.
This was not a vision to be interpreted, but rather a very straightforward message:
- 70 sevens (490 prophetic years) were determined for the Jewish age, which began with Artaxerxes Longimanus's decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem in 445 B.C.
- at the end of this time, their covenants will be fulfilled (in the Millennial kingdom)
- but when they rejected Jesus as their King and Messiah, the Jewish Age was interrupted
- there is "one week" (7 years left)
- no one knows how long this interruption (the Church Age) will last
- but like a thief in the night (1 Thessalonians 5) all believers of all times, up until that point, will be caught up into heaven (will be raptured)
- AND THEN the last 7 years (the Tribulation) will happen
- the "prince who is to come: is the Antichrist (9:26)
- the Antichrist will make a covenant with the Israelites, but will betray them halfway through the Tribulation, when the Antichrist will set up the abomination of desolation, which is when he sets himself up in the temple as the only one to be worshiped (9:26-27)...
(Daniel 9:24-27) “Seventy weeks have been decreed for your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sin, to make atonement for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy place. 25 So you are to know and discern that from the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince there will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; it will be built again, with plaza and moat, even in times of distress. 26 Then after the sixty-two weeks the Messiah will be cut off and have nothing, and the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. And its end will come with a flood; even to the end there will be war; desolations are determined. 27 And he will make a firm covenant with the many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering; and on the wing of abominations will come one who makes desolate, even until a complete destruction, one that is decreed, is poured out on the one who makes desolate.”
From this we see:
- angels obey commands from God to deliver messages (9:23)
- two angels (holy ones) speak with one another and with Daniel (8:13-15)
- angels can appear to us looking like a man (8:15)
- the "man" standing before Daniel was the angel, Gabriel (8:15-18)
- Gabriel means "hero of God"
- Gabriel was able to explain Daniel's vision (8:16-17)
- angels can instill fear into people (8:17)
- angels can cause deep sleeps, maybe because people can become too overwhelmed (8:18)
- dealing with visions and the presence of the spiritual realm can be exhausting (8:27)
- angels can minister to and empower people (8:18)
- "host of heaven" in this vision represents the Israelites (8:10)
- Antichrist will be empowered by Satan (8:24)
- Antichrist will be carrying out Satan's will, which is ultimately to destroy God's people, the Israelites (8:24)
- Antichrist will be insolent and skilled in intrigue, political astute (8:23)
- Antichrist will be a liar (8:12)
- Antichrist will be shrewd, deceitful and very influencial (8:25)
- Antichrist will rise to power and prosper during the first half of the Tribulation (8:9, 23-24)
- Antichrist will be very destructive (8:24)
- Antichrist will try to kill all Israelites (8:9-10, 24)
- Antichrist will set himself up as the only one to worship at the halfway point of the Tribulation, to rival Jesus (8:11, 25)
- mankind will not be able to oppose the Antichrist, it will take supernatural powers (8:25)
- the Antichrist will even try to oppose Jesus, the Commander of the host, the Prince of princes (8:11, 25)
- the Antichrist's evil kingdom and intentions will be destroyed at Jesus' second coming (8:25)
Personal experience: sometimes God's message to us can be unsettling. What we want to hear and what we need to hear can be very different. It can even be something that initially causes us to fear or be nervous - like when God calls us to do something, or when we are asked to serve in a particular ministry.
I will say that usually when something is our gift, we will be good at it and typically we will enjoy doing it. Like singing. If someone is gifted in singing, that person will be good at it and will enjoy it. This does not mean that the person won't experience nerves.
Interestingly, back when I sang in school musicals or in concerts, I was not nervous at all. But most every time I went up to sing in church - I was really nervous. Which made me pray!
Therefore, being nervous is not a valid excuse! In fact, it is a good thing. Because when we are nervous, we will spend more time in prayer, asking God to help us.
Like the first few times I was asked to lead a Sunday school class or a Bible study. I was completely outside my comfort zone. But if I had not tried serving in that way, I would not have discovered that it is one of my gifts. And I really do enjoy it. Having said that, I still have a lot to learn about how to lead a study effectively.
Today's takeaway: we should strive towards excellency, but we cannot expect to be perfect - especially with our first attempts. God is gracious and patient with us! So we need to be gracious and patient with ourselves and others as we strive to serve God...
(Mark 10:42-45) Calling them to Himself, Jesus said to them, “You know that those who are recognized as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them; and their great men exercise authority over them. 43 But it is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant; 44 and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be slave of all. 45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”
(Galatians 5:13) For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.
(Romans 12:1-8) Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.
3 For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith. 4 For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, 5 so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. 6 Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly: if prophecy, according to the proportion of his faith; 7 if service, in his serving; or he who teaches, in his teaching; 8 or he who exhorts, in his exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.
(1 Peter 4:8-11) Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins. 9 Be hospitable to one another without complaint. 10 As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. 11 Whoever speaks, is to do so as one who is speaking the utterances of God; whoever serves is to do so as one who is serving by the strength which God supplies; so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
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