Verses 1-2 In the third year of the reign of king Belshazzar a vision appeared unto me, even unto me Daniel, after that which appeared unto me at the first. 2 And I saw in a vision; and it came to pass, when I saw, that I was at Shushan in the palace, which is in the province of Elam; and I saw in a vision, and I was by the river of Ulai.
Belshazzar was Nebuchadnezzar’s grandson. Daniel had already seen a vision, recorded in chapter 7, in the first year of Belshazzar’s reign regarding four beasts coming up out of the sea, and he was making a difference between that vision and this new one. God was again going to show Daniel a vision regarding future empires or governments, but in a different way. Daniel was now living in the third year of Belshazzar’s reign and in this vision, he was at the palace in Shushan, the name meaning “lily”. Shushan was one of two capitol cities in Persia which is modern day Iran. It was the winter residence of the Kings of Persia and it was located on the river Ulai. The name “Ulai” means “my leaders or mighties” which was a fitting name for the river where the kings’ palace was located. Why was Daniel seeing himself in one of the capitals of the next kingdom, a kingdom that was not yet in existence? Because his vision was happening in the future. Medo-Persia had not yet conquered and taken over the one world empire of Babylon. Through this vision, Daniel knew that Babylon was going to fall and another empire was going to take over and he was, in some fashion, going to be a part of the government of this empire.
Verse 3 Then I lifted up mine eyes, and saw, and, behold, there stood before the river a ram which had two horns: and the two horns were high; but one was higher than the other, and the higher came up last.
Everything God does is precise. All prophecy from God comes to pass. This ram (an uncastrated male sheep) had two horns that were not placed symmetrically on its head. Horns in Scripture are metaphor for or representative of strength and power. Male sheep use their horns to ‘ram’ into other sheep when vying for supremacy or for pasture space or in play. It is from this word that the noun battering ram originates. Verse 20 below clarifies the meaning of these two horns. They are two kings of the Medo-Persian empire, most likely Cyrus and Darius. The horns’ placement indicates that one king will be more powerful than the other, the more powerful king being the second one to rise to power. Historically, the Medo-Persian empire made up of Medes and Persians conquered Babylon and killed Belshazzar, grandson of Nebuchadnezzar, in 539 BC. This dual empire became the Persian empire so the two became one. Since there is a lack of names given in the vision, historically the kings of Medo-Persia and then Persia are thought to be as follows with the approximate years that these kings reigned:
Cyrus II (550-529 BC)
Cambyses II (529-522 BC) Also called Ahasueras which means prince,head, or chief.
Darius I (522-486 BC)
Xerxes I (486-465 BC)
Artaxerxes I (465-425 BC) See the books of Ezra and Nehemiah.
Xerxes II (425-424 BC)
Darius II (423-404 BC) See the books of Ezra and Nehemiah.
Artaxerxes II (404-359 BC)
Artaxerxes III (359-338 BC)
Arses (338-336 BC)
Darius III (336-330 BC)
Under King Cyrus (550-529 BC) a decree was given that the Jews were to be allowed to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the wall and the Temple. The Persian kingdom was at its greatest, however, under the reign of King Darius II (423-404 BC), and it was this king that let the Jews in Jerusalem continue their building projects unmolested by their enemies and who was written about by the prophets Ezra and Nehemiah. But it was during the reign of Darius III that the kingdom was defeated by Alexander the Great. As can be seen, all the kings are not recorded in Scripture and when they are, it can be difficult to know which one is being referred to as often there were more than one king with the same name. Hopefully, this list will assist you, the reader, to keep the various rulers referred to in the Old Testament prophetical books and the years that they were in power straight.
Note: A good friend of this writer who is extremely knowledgeable regarding the Bible believes that the two horns on the ram described by Daniel simply represent the Medo-Persian empire, the small horn being the Medes and the larger horn being the Persians, and that they are not necessarily referring to any particular king. Since the outcome of this prophesy is the same, this interpretation is also an accurate one and included here.
Verse 4 I saw the ram pushing westward, and northward, and southward; so that no beasts might stand before him, neither was there any that could deliver out of his hand; but he did according to his will, and became great.
This ram or Medo-Persian empire conquered and went everywhere but East. Historically, they were fighting against Greece all the time in an effort to remain in charge and to keep their power. Everyone who tried to oppose this one world government as they conquered and expanded their territory failed and the beast system did what it wanted as it was self-willed and very cruel, shedding much blood. The beasts that Daniel saw in this vision parallel the beasts that he saw in chapter 7 and the vision of the image of Nebuchadnezzar in chapter 2. The bear that came up from the sea and the silver arms and belly of the image are representative of the Medo-Persian one world government. Here it is represented by a ram. In the following verses, the goat is the same empire as was represented by the leopard coming out of the sea and the thighs of brass on the image.
Application: Historically, nations have always fought against each other. Why is this? These leaders already have all the riches and money they could possibly need or want, so that is not the major motive that drives the wars and bloodshed. What is the motive? There is a driving, antichrist spirit from Satan that makes the power elite want to have control over all the people and their possessions and over all the land. Satan wants it that way because he wants to destroy that which God has made. He wants to be ‘king’ of this world and he does that by controlling the world leaders and creating havoc through this antichrist spirit that indwells his people. And the devils working in these leaders back in Biblical days are still around today. Satan, who is filled with anger and hatred is out to destroy, not only God’s people, but God’s creation. Every bomb that has been dropped has destroyed structures, land and critters, not to mention people. In ancient days, the attacking armies burned the cities they conquered to the ground and slaughtered their inhabitants. The same thing goes on today except that technology provides the destructive force instead of hand to hand combat and man power.
Verses 5-7 And as I was considering, behold, an he goat came from the west on the face of the whole earth, and touched not the ground: and the goat had a notable horn between his eyes. 6 And he came to the ram that had two horns, which I had seen standing before the river, and ran unto him in the fury of his power. 7 And I saw him come close unto the ram, and he was moved with choler against him, and smote the ram, and brake his two horns: and there was no power in the ram to stand before him, but he cast him down to the ground, and stamped upon him: and there was none that could deliver the ram out of his hand.
This second beast system, described as a male goat, “touched not the ground” because he was running or moving so quickly. The prophet Daniel did not have the benefit of history to explain who this goat was, but it is now known that it was Alexander the Great, the Grecian general who conquered the Medo-Persian empire and established another one world government and empire in record time. Historically is it known that no other invading nation has spread as fast and conquered as much territory as Alexander the Great did during his conquest for world domination. The goat Daniel saw only had one horn or one power and that was this man. Choler means rage or anger. Alexander the Great was full of fury and rage because he had an evil spirit driving him. As a result, he had absolute victory and once again there was a change of power.
Application: All human governments are viewed by God as beasts and some are quite ravenous. Governments fight, people do not. The fighting is like a game with the elite in these governments and they use human lives as their pawns. There can be no peace on Earth without Jesus Christ. Each kingdom will tear another apart. Finally one beast destroys the other and a new empire arises. God allows these things to happen as prophecy must be fullfilled, but God does not smile on all this. Since this writer has been alive on Earth, there has never been a time of world peace, and there will never be a time of world peace until Jesus Christ returns to this Earth to judge the wicked and to take the righteous home to be with Him in the New Heaven and Earth. So don’t look for a world leader or a political party to “save” the people of this world. Jesus is the only way, the only truth and the only life.
Verses 8-9 Therefore the he goat waxed very great: and when he was strong, the great horn was broken; and for it came up four notable ones toward the four winds of heaven. 9 And out of one of them came forth a little horn, which waxed exceeding great, toward the south, and toward the east, and toward the pleasant land.
Daniel saw the goat become great and then his horn was broken. The Grecian empire became a great one world governmental system under Alexander the Great, and then he died at the very young age of 32. What happened when Alexander conquered Persia and then died? Four horns or powers rose up. Alexander had four generals under him: Cassander, Ptolemy, Antigonus and Seleucus. The leopard with four heads seen by the prophet Daniel in his previous vision represents the Grecian empire of Alexander and its spit into four parts under the control of these four generals. Once divided into four, the empire later became two kingdoms, the Seleucid dynasty being that from which Antiochus Epiphanes came. Antiochus ruled from Syria and went south and east over to Israel and caused havoc in the “pleasant land”. See the history of the Maccabean revolt. He was a leader with an antichrist spirit. He chose the name, Epiphanes, because it meant “illustrious one or god manifest”. He was brutal and operated under demonic spirit power. He battled for the Temple in Jerusalem, desecrating it with among other things, the offering of a pig on the altar of God. The Temple and its contents were damaged but it was not destroyed. Why? Because Jesus had not yet come and it had to stand until He came and physically stood in the Temple, after which it would be destroyed with the siege of Jerusalem in 70 AD.
Verses 10-12 And it waxed great, even to the host of heaven; and it cast down some of the host and of the stars to the ground, and stamped upon them. 11 Yea, he magnified himself even to the prince of the host, and by him the daily sacrifice was taken away, and the place of his sanctuary was cast down. 12 And an host was given him against the daily sacrifice by reason of transgression, and it cast down the truth to the ground; and it practised, and prospered.
This little horn which represents Antiochus became more powerful and profaned everything that pertained to the God of Heaven and stamped upon the people of Israel (conquered, killed, and persecuted them). He made himself out to be a god, he stopped the Jewish Temple worship which included the daily animal sacrifices and ordered the Jews to sacrifice to pagan deities, he desecrated the Temple with his altar to Zeus, with his presence, and with his pig, he outlawed circumcision, and he was basically a tyrant who prospered at the expense of the people of Israel and the rest of his kingdom.
Application: What was really going on with these kingdoms was Satan’s plan to interrupt God’s plans. Satan was trying to blaspheme and insult God and destroy the Temple. He was successful to a great extent. The sacrifice of the pig by Antiochus was Satan’s representation of the sacrifice of Jesus that would be future. Even the truth was cast down to the ground by these empires as they rose and fell. The same antichrist spirit is active in the world today. Satan, filled with power and hatred, is still going out to destroy. “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.” 1 Peter 5:8 In Revelation 13:1 a beast or governmental system is described. “And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.”
Verses 13-14 Then I heard one saint speaking, and another saint said unto that certain saint which spake, How long shall be the vision concerning the daily sacrifice, and the transgression of desolation, to give both the sanctuary and the host to be trodden under foot? 14 And he said unto me, Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.
During this invasion by Antiochus, the daily sacrifice was taken away but the Mosaic law was still there, and the people did their best to obey it. Remember that a lamb had to be killed and burned on the altar outside of the Temple building every morning and every evening. These lambs were representative of the taking away of the nation’s sins and pointing to the time when Jesus, the final Lamb of God, would be killed for the sins of the people. So the prophet Daniel heard a holy one ask basically how long the enemy would be allowed to keep pounding the truth and the people of God and get away with it. The Hebrew word translated as “transgression” is “pesha” and it means rebellion. This rebellion against God by Antiochus was causing desolation in Israel. The holy one or saint Daniel heard assured him that those days would be numbered. There would be a definite end and God knew when that would be. Consider His grace and mercy that He doesn’t destroy the Earth now as it is full of rebellion and blasphemy against the LORD Jesus Christ.
Application: This writer freely admits that the exact meaning of the 2300 days is not fully understood, yet. Two is the number of division and three is the number of perfection. A thousand metaphorically means unlimited or ongoing. But the context of the discussion between the two saints is the daily sacrifice, the transgression or rebellion that was making desolate, and the treading down of the sanctuary. The Greek word translated here as “sanctuary” is “qodesh” and it means holy, sacred, separate, apart, or hallowed. The daily sacrifice was for the sins of the Jewish people who were always in rebellion against God and who were killing His prophets and “treading” on the holy things of God, just like Antiochus Epiphanes. So who cleansed the Temple? The LORD Jesus Christ cleansed the Temple when He chased out the money changers. The LORD Jesus Christ cleansed the people when He shed His blood on the cross for man’s sins. The LORD Jesus Christ ended the daily sacrifice as He was the final Lamb of God. The LORD Jesus Christ ended the Jewish nation’s rebellion against Him and His prophets when He pronounced judgement upon the nation as can be read in Matthew chapter 24. He allowed the Roman army to besiege Jerusalem and destroy the Temple so that all the records were lost and no person could prove they were of Jewish descent, and then He scattered the people throughout the nations.
Verses 15-17 And it came to pass, when I, even I Daniel, had seen the vision, and sought for the meaning, then, behold, there stood before me as the appearance of a man. 16 And I heard a man’s voice between the banks of Ulai, which called, and said, Gabriel, make this man to understand the vision. 17 So he came near where I stood: and when he came, I was afraid, and fell upon my face: but he said unto me, Understand, O son of man: for at the time of the end shall be the vision.
The man seen by Daniel and the voice heard by Daniel may have been the two saints or holy ones in the verses above, but this cannot be proven by Scripture. Daniel did not understand the meaning of this vision as it was future. He wanted to know what the meaning was. He saw what looked like a man but who was the archangel, Gabriel, a messenger from God. When Daniel, in the vision, saw this angel he fell down on his face on the ground. All through the Old Testament, when a person met or saw an angel or the LORD Jesus Christ, the experience was so overwhelming they could not stand on their feet but had to place themselves on the ground in a subservient manner.
Gabriel states, “for at the time of the end shall be the vision”. So the question has to be asked, “the end of what”? Most mainstream evangelical religious entities claim that Gabriel is speaking about the end of the world or of time. This is again from the false teachings of C. I. Scofield. Gabriel did not say the end of time or the end of the world. So what was he referring to? Ask the questions who, what, when, where, why, and to whom. The angel Gabriel is the who. He is speaking to Daniel, the whom, regarding the vision or the what, while he is in captivity and residing in Babylon which is the when and where, so that it could be written about for future generations to look back and see the prophecy of God come to pass which is the why? Has anything been understood to indicate the end of the world? Does the vision ending with Antiochus Epiphanes’ assault on Israel and Jerusalem somehow translate through the future Roman occupation, the days of Jesus and the last 2000 or so years of history to the end of the world? The answer has to be a resounding “No”. At this point all that is known is that the vision was all about the conflict between three one world empires (Babylon, Medo-Persia, and Greece) which concerned Daniel and the Jewish people as they were already in captivity, and any change in the status of the nation of Babylon would affect them in some way. So, the angel Gabriel may have simply meant that at the time of the end of the nation Babylon this vision would come to pass. But it would not come to pass completely as, although Babylon would fall and Medo-Persia rise to power, time would have to pass for Greece to rise up and cause the fall of Medo-Persia. Or Gabriel may have meant that the vision would come to pass and lead to the end of the nation Israel. Why is this a possibility? Two primary reasons make this a viable suggestion. One, because Daniel fainted and got very sick after seeing this vision and hearing its explanation and two, because the sanctuary was not cleansed until Jesus came to Earth, and He pronounced final judgement upon the nation Israel and its people. See Matthew chapters 23 and 24.
Verses 18-19 Now as he was speaking with me, I was in a deep sleep on my face toward the ground: but he touched me, and set me upright. 19 And he said, Behold, I will make thee know what shall be in the last end of the indignation: for at the time appointed the end shall be.
The Hebrew word translated as the first “end” in the sentence above is “achariyth” and it means the after part, an issue or event, latter time, or hindermost. The Hebrew word translated as “indignation” is “za’am” and it means anger. The Hebrew word translated as the second “end” is “kets” and it means after, border, infinite and process. Trying to paraphrase the sentence in verses 19 it might go something like this: “I will make thee know what shall be going to happen in the latter time event because of the anger: for at the time appointed the process shall be.” Another question to ask is who does the anger belong to? The only logical answer this writer can deduce is that the anger belongs to God because of Israel’s continuous rebellion against Him and His prophets and because of their future rebellion and murder of the LORD Jesus Christ. What do you think?
So the angel Gabriel was sent to explain to Daniel what the contents of the vision he was seeing meant. It is a segment of time that at the end of the end, not at the beginning of the end. The end isn’t moveable but it is a point that God has decreed and it will not change. The time is fixed and cannot be changed at all by anybody, and because God said it, the events or process shown in the vision would come to pass along a segment of time leading up to a final completion of the vision.
Verses 20-22 The ram which thou sawest having two horns are the kings of Media and Persia. 21 And the rough goat is the king of Grecia: and the great horn that is between his eyes is the first king. 22 Now that being broken, whereas four stood up for it, four kingdoms shall stand up out of the nation, but not in his power.
The angel Gabriel does as he has been commanded and explains the vision clearly to Daniel. These are purpose driven kings bent on world domination and Daniel would understand this very well as he and his people were victims of a purpose driven king, Nebuchadnezzar, and of a one world power.
Verses 23-25 And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall stand up. 24 And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power: and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practise, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people. 25 And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes; but he shall be broken without hand.
“Their kingdom” is referring to the segmented Grecian empire. The Hebrew word translated as “transgressors” is “pasha” and it means to rebel or revolt against. What is not clear is if those doing the rebelling or revolting are the pagan empires and leaders or the Jews. This writer thinks that it is both: the Grecian’s rebelling against God and against the nations around them that they were busy conquering, and the Jews rebelling against their LORD and King.
Who rose up in the “latter time” of the divided Grecian kingdom? Again, followers of the Scofield doctrine, which is most modern evangelical churches, believe and teach that this king of fierce countenance is the fictitious Antichrist. If that is the case, then this human being that is supposed to be occupied by Satan himself would have had to arise during the Grecian one world governmental system prior to 146 BC and then have miraculously stayed alive down through the centuries. This teaching does not make sense, is impossible, and does not align with the verses above. Scripture has to be interpreted by other Scripture and by the most common sense meaning of the verses. So, again, who is this king? Since it has been established that Antiochus Epiphanes was a Seleucid king who reigned over Syria from 175 BC to 164 BC and since it is generally accepted that Rome conquered Greece in 146 BC, this wicked king fits the description and the timeline the angel Gabriel set forth in the verses above. This interpretation also fits verses 8-10 already discussed above. The historian, Flavius Josephus, records that Antiochus Epiphanes died because he was “grieving” over military disappointments and defeats and because “by the anxiety he was in, he fell into a distemper which, as it lasted a great while, and as his pains increased upon him, so he at length perceived he should die in a little time, so he called his friends to him, and told them that his distemper was severe upon him: and confessed withal, that this calamity was sent upon him for the miseries he had brought upon the Jewish nation, while he plundered their Temple and contemned their God; and when he had said this, he gave up the ghost.” Clearly Antiochus is the king that stood against the Prince of princes, God very God, and who was broken without hand (referring to human hands).
Just a note: A similitude of prophecy is when an event that is written about comes to pass, and then later in history another event similar to the original one happens. This is how the term, “history repeats itself” has legitimacy. Certain events happen over and over again because mankind is evil and Satan uses the same game plan over and over.
Application: Throughout history there have been transgressor in every nation. In Noah’s day the known world was full of transgressors and they were all destroyed by a flood. Since the Roman empire fell in ten segments, there has always been the desire by the power elite to establish another one world government. This is a similitude of prophecy. Looking at society today, have the transgressors come to the full? Is society full of sin and depravity and rebellion against God? Have nations risen up against each other these last 100 years or so? The answer is a resounding “yes”, but the transgressors have not yet come to the full. When they do it will be over. “But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.” 2 Timothy 3:13 There is no greater deceiver than one who has been deceived, so it gets harder and harder to spread the truth of the Gospel. Deception is Satan’s policy and the way he gets power over mankind.
Application: Go back and review chapter 2 of Daniel and the image of Nebuchadnezzar. The nations represented by the head of gold, the chest and arms of silver, the thighs of brass, and the legs of iron have come and physically gone, but all the idolatry and evil spirits associated with these ancient empires are with us today. Mankind is now living in the time of the feet or base of this system that is composed of iron and ceramic clay. The feet haven’t been hit yet by the rock cut without hands which is metaphor for Jesus. All that Satan has built up for thousands of years is still there but in a composite form now and when the feet are hit it will all come tumbling down. What will be left is one King of Kings and one spiritual Kingdom that will stand forever. Everything else will fall. Today’s kingdoms may have the strength of iron in them, but they are fragile because of the ten toes and the clay. They will come down. This image is getting ready to be toppled by the LORD Jesus Christ.
Verses 26-17 And the vision of the evening and the morning which was told is true: wherefore shut thou up the vision; for it shall be for many days. 27 And I Daniel fainted, and was sick certain days; afterward I rose up, and did the king’s business; and I was astonished at the vision, but none understood it. (Daniel 8)
This vision and its interpretation made Daniel physically sick. What he saw was very terrible. The dreams he had interpreted and the visions he had seen were all concerning future one world empires whose leaders operated by a spirit of antichrist and who were in opposition to the God he served. Hosea 12:10 states, “I have also spoken by the prophets, and I have multiplied visions, and used similitudes, by the ministry of the prophets.” The events that Daniel was shown before they happened have repeated in some form down through history. This is a similitude of prophecy. Was there an antichrist spirit back in the days of Daniel? The answer is of course, yes. Was that spirit present in the days of Jesus’ ministry and the apostolic church? Yes. Herod the Great and the Caesars such as Nero fit the pattern well, persecuting the people of God in rebellion against Him. Is there an antichrist spirit in recent history and today? Of course, the answer is again yes. Some examples are: Mussolini from Italy, Stalin and Lenin in Russia, Hitler in Germany, Eisenhower in the US, Pol Pot in Cambodia, and so forth. These leaders fullfilled the pattern presented by Daniel showing the characteristics of leaders controlled by this antichrist spirit. All had an antichrist spirit driving them. Today we have reached the point where most political leaders world wide are operating by a spirit of antichrist. How do Christian believers live in this Satanic, antichrist climate? By knowledge of and obedience to the Word of God, by prayer, by exercising faith, and by presenting the truth of the Gospel and demonstrating the love of Christ to all in their sphere of influence.