The eyes of the world are riveted on the Middle East. Newscasters repeatedly declare it is the strategic center of the world. Almost daily, Arabs, and Jews exchange hostile words and raids. Nations outside the Middle East are anything but neutral. Everyone seems to agree the Middle East constitutes one of the most potentially explosive areas in the world.
The Middle East- the center of world attention--commands a center stage position in Daniel Chapters 8 through 12. Chapter 8 mentions Israel's sacrifices and sanctuary, her crime and chastening. Palestine will explode with invasion, and I think this chapter introduces us to it.
Part 1 Daniel 8: 1-14
Daniel consistently gives the time, place, and circumstances of the divine revelations which came to him. The Biblical writers take special pains to link all events to calendar dates and geographic places. Time and history are thus connected to eternity.
God intervenes in history; God acts in history. In the Scriptures we have a history of redemption and a history of the future kingdom. The time of the vision is the third year of Belshazzar's regency; the place is Susa in Persia, not Babylon; and more specific than that, Daniel stands (in vision) on the banks of the Ulai, a river on which Susa was built (vs. 1,2).
Daniel saw a ram standing on the side of the river, about to begin a westward assault in which it would crush every opponent in its path. The angel Gabriel interpreted the meaning (vs. 20).
The ram signifies the dual kingdom of the Medes and Persians. The shorter horn (vs. 3) is a fit emblem of Media because the Medes did not continue in power after Darius. The longer horn which came up later pictures the ascendancy of the Persians over the Medes under the leadership of Cyrus.
While Daniel was reflecting upon the ram, he saw a goat coming from the opposite direction and moving with great speed toward the East. The animal had a single horn protruding from its head, and with that fearful horn the goat charged into the ram in a blind fury, knocking the ram to the ground and tramping upon it.
The goat became mighty in power; but at the zenith of its strength the horn was broken, and four other horns came up in its place.
Gabriel gave the meaning of these details, too (vs. 21). The horn is the king of Greece. We know his as the famous son of Philip of Macedon--Alexander the Great. The Persians had invaded Greek territories and had infuriated the Greeks by their treacherous and bloodthirsty deeds.
With the newly devised army Alexander cut to pieces the Persians and with phenomenal success expanded his empire until it reached India. It is reported Alexander wept because no territories were left to be conquered.
Alexander died at the age of 33 of a condition brought about by a dissolute life. He simply didn't have the resistance to throw off a tropical fever. he had no heir, and so his four generals divided the vast empire between themselves. This is the meaning of the four horns (vs. 8).
It's easy to follow the majority of Bible expositors and think the little horn of Daniel 8 is identical to the little horn of Daniel 7. But this is a hasty conclusion in my opinion. I've learned an important rule of interpreting prophecy is that similarity is not necessarily identity. One needs to distinguish things that differ....
Many students of prophecy (especially American writers I've noticed) believe chapter 8 is a clarification of chapter 7 and chapter 8 pinpoints the geographic area from which the antichrist will come. They are confusing three separate and distinct end-time leaders and making prophecy even more complicated than it already is I think.
Careful study will show neither the little horn of Chapter 7 not the little horn of chapter 8 is the antichrist; and the little horn of chapter 7 is an entirely different person from the little horn of chapter 8. About the only similarity between them is both persecute Israel, but this is not enough to equate them in my opinion.
The little horn of Daniel 8 had his initial historical fulfillment in the person and performances of Alexander's divided empire. Antiochus swept down from the North and inflicted terrible atrocities upon the Jews. He marched his armies through Palestine to Egypt. His northern connection, his Egyptian campaign, and his destruction of the land of Palestine make him the ancient predecessor of the coming king of the North, NOT of the emperor-beast in Europe.
Daniel described Antiochus' activities in verses 10-14, and in many of these details Antiochus resembles the future Assyrian whom God will use to chastise Israel. Antiochus elevated himself to the stars of heaven and magnified himself as the equal of any god (vs. 10, 11). The Assyrian of old boasted in his own strength (Isaiah 10:13), magnifying himself above all others (vs. 15).
"The transgression" plays a prominent part in Antiochus' activities (Daniel 8:12, 13, 23). Likewise, God will employ the services of the Assyrian to punish Israel for "the transgression," which represents a return to idolatry.
The armies of the Assyrian Sennacherib were used by God to chasten Israel for idolatry, and God will raise up a successor to the Assyrian in the future who will punish Israel for entering into an alliance with Western Allies--a treaty held together by the erection of an idol in the Jewish temple. God will use the Assyrian of the future to disannul the diabolical compact (Isaiah 28: 14-18).
"Desolation" is associated with Antiochus (Daniel 8:13), and it's the northern invader of the end-time whom God will use to devastate Israel's land. "The abomination of desolation" refers to the ruination the northern invasion will cause in Palestine on account of the idolatrous connection between Israel and the kingdom of the beast of Europe.
In my opinion the return of Israel to the land and the marvelous restoration of the land is preparatory to the destruction the nation will experience when the armies of the North reduce it to waste and ruin. God is conditioning His people.
Antiochus will tread the people under his feet (vs. 13). Again this is the same language that is used of the Assyrian in Isaiah 28:18, where God warns the Jews they will be trodden down by the overflowing sourge of the northern army. A careful study of all the passages that pertain to the king of the North and to the Assyrian will show that Antiochus is more akin to him than to the western dictator. (Read the following passages for more information: Isaiah 10:24,25; 14: 24-27; 30:31-33; Joel 2; Micah 5:1-6; 7:12)
Part 2 (Daniel 8: 15-27)
Daniel 8 is perfectly clear about the ultimate fulfillment of the prophecy about the little horn. It will be consummated in a period just short of 3 1/2 years (vs. 14), at a time when the Jewish temple has been rebuilt and the Mosaic ritual restored, at a time of God's indignation--in short, at the time of the end (vs. 17, 19) and in the latter time of Israel's transgression (vs. 23).
Nothing can be more certain than that Antiochus did not totally fulfill the content of these prophecies. A double fulfillment is in view here--a fulfillment to occur at the end of the times of the Gentiles, as well as fulfillment in Antichus' time. "The time of the end" marks the period immediately before Christ returns to set up the kingdom of David.
It is the period of the seven year tribulation. The time of the end is appointed (vs. 19)--that is, fixed in the eternal counsels. And that time is especially designed by God to complete His whole work in Israel before bringing the nation into the era of Messiah's earthly reign.
The moment the image of the beast is erected in the temple, God will bring the northern king of fierce countenance against the land of Israel (vs. 23). Daniel begins his description of the invader in verses 23-25 and continues it in Chapter 11, verses 40-45.
The "fierce countenance" implies his impudence and shameless disregard for God and man. he is unmoving in his feelings and pursues a cruel course without reluctance. "Understanding dark sentences" means he knows how to use falsehood and dissimulation. he says one thing and means another. He phrases his words in such a way as to deceive. In his own right he is powerful enough, but in addition to that, he is upported by another government (Daniel 8:24).
The king of the North is a confederate of Prince Rosh (Ezekiel 28:2, 4-6). The armies of the extreme North combine with the king of the North and other countries to invade Palestine. The results of the invasion are devasting; many Jews suffer death. Others escape the area before the invasion and flee to the mountains in obedience to the instructions of Jesus in Matthew 24: 15-22.
Others make their perilous journey through Jordan to the rose red city of Petra (Isaiah 16:1-4). But these details belong to the other prophets; space and time forbid a study of all these events now.
The king of the North will make the Jews think they are safe, and while they are saying, "peace and safety," sudden destruction will come upon them from the North. The peace mentioned in Daniel 8: 25 is probably equivalent to the era of peace that will immediately follow the rapture of the church (Rev. 6:2-4). Ezekiel gives the same conditions. He puts the invasion of Prince Rosh and all his confederate armies at a time when the Jews think they are perfectly secure (Ezekiel 38: 8, 11, 14). Israel is not really safe; she only imagines it.
She is depending upon the western dictator to defend her, and she has been listening to the "dark sentences" of the king of the North who has deceived her into trusting him. But the northern aggressor goes too far (Daniel 8: 25); he contests the authority of the Messiah and meets his doom by a supernatural intervention of God.
"Broken without hand" indicates no human hand or army will defeat the king of the North and the armies backing him. The prophets and John the revelator concur in their explanation of this destruction. The ground will literally open and swallow up the king of the North and the armies. Joel informs us that some will escape to the desert region where they will parish in the burning sands.
Ezekiel suggests a sixth of the army will return to its place in the North. The future Assyrian, king of the North and successor to Antiochus, is prominent on the prophetic page; in fact, much more space is given to him than to the emperor-beast in Europe or to the Jewish antichrist in Palestine.
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