INTRODUCTION
Do you trust God? How are you when it comes to trusting God’s Word?
Illustration:
The story is told of man who was traveling in mid-winter whose
journey brought him to the Mississippi River. He needed to cross the river
and it was frozen; but he didn’t know if he could trust that it would hold
him or not.
After some thought and realizing that if he needed to make it across
before dark, he decided to give it a try. So he laid down on the ice thinking
that if he distributed his weight that his chances were better. Slowly
he carefully began working his way across. After a couple of hours he heard
a strange sound behind him and the sound of a man whistling. Working his
way around to see what it was, he saw a man, who obviously had been across
the frozen river before, whistling as he drove a horse drawn carriage across
the ice.
How much you trust God will affect the way you live this life. If you have
not placed your trust in God, these prophecies that we are studying can
be troubling. If you have placed your trust in Him, they merely confirm
what you have already determined - that the God in whom you have placed
your trust is in control.
As we come to chapter 8 of the book of Daniel, we discover that there
is a lot of repetition of what we have already learned (Daniel
8:1-18, NKJV). It expands a part of Daniel’s prophecies that has already
been fulfilled. But, as we shall see, chapter 8 begins a section of Daniel
with a new focus.
I. REVIEWING DANIEL’S PROPHECIES
To understand chapter 8 we must put it in the context of the prophecies
of the previous chapters. This will be good review for those who have been
here and essential to those of you who have not.
The book of Daniel tells us that, starting with the Babylonian captivity
(around 600 BC), the nation of Israel will be dominated by Gentile kingdoms
until Jesus comes and sets up God’s Kingdom on this earth that will last
forever. At this time, of course, Israel will return to prominence because
Christ’s kingdom will be headquartered in Jerusalem.
In chapters 2 & 7 we are given the prophecies that tell what the
ruling kingdoms will be during these “times of the Gentiles” and their
order of succession.
 In chapter
2, these kingdoms are seen from the human perspective and depicted as precious
metals.
In chapter
7, they are seen from God’s perspective and depicted as wild beasts.
The prophecies
of chapters 2 & 7 are as follows:
| Chapter 2 |
Chapter 7 |
Kingdom |
| Head of Gold |
Lion |
Babylon |
| Chest & Arms of Silver |
Bear |
Medo-Persia |
| Belly & Thighs of Bronze |
Leopard |
Greece |
| Legs of Iron |
Indescribable beast |
Rome |
What was prophecy to Daniel is history to us. And secular history confirms
that, in fact, these were the empires that ruled the world in the order
in which they ruled.
Chapters 2 & 7 both also tell us that at the end of “the times of
the Gentiles” that a federation of ten nations that were a part of the
original Roman Empire would come to prominence.
Chapter 2 describes this federation as “Toes of iron mixed with clay”
and chapter 7 as “ten horns." We are also told that “in the days of these
kings” (i.e. this 10 nation federation) that Jesus would return to earth
and set up God’s everlasting kingdom. This has not happened as yet and
will be fulfilled at some point in the future.
Last week we saw that chapter 7 also tells us about the ruler of this
last Gentile kingdom. He is called the “little horn” and refers to the
person that we know as the Antichrist. He will bring about the worst time
of human history for seven years before he is utterly defeated by Jesus
when He returns to earth at His Second Coming.
II. REPEATING DANIEL’S PROPHECIES
Turn in your Bibles to Daniel 81. This chapter focuses on
the second and third kingdoms: Persia and Greece. It prophecies events
that, from our perspective, have already happened and are historical events.
There is a shift in focus in chapter 8 that is not readily apparent
in our Bibles:
-
Chapters 2-7 were originally written in Aramaic, the Gentile language of
Daniel’s day, and focused on prophecy as it related to the Gentile nations.
-
Chapters 8-12 were originally written in Hebrew, the language of Israel,
and focus on prophecy as it relates to Israel.
As a result, Daniel’s prophecy about Persia and Greece are repeated in
chapter 8 these nations are depicted as strong farm animals (Persia as
a Ram & Greece as a Goat) - not ferocious beasts. This probably due
to the fact that, though these nations were vicious to each other, both
were relatively benign in their attitude toward Israel.
It seems that the purpose of this repetition is to warn Israel and prepare
them for a ruler that would be especially harsh toward them. If they were
aware of this prophecy, they would be able to recognize him as the series
of events prophesied here were fulfilled.
Let’s begin reading at verse 19:
Daniel 8:19-22 (NKJV)
19And he said, "Look, I am making known to you what shall
happen in the latter time of the indignation; for at the appointed time
the end shall be. 20The ram which you saw, having the two horns--they
are the kings of Media and Persia. 21And the male goat is the
kingdom[7] of Greece. The
large horn that is between its eyes is the first king. 22As
for the broken horn and the four that stood up in its place, four kingdoms
shall arise out of that nation, but not with its power.
(AMP)
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| (NASB)
Daniel now describes a ruler that will come out of one of the four divisions
of the Grecian Empire.
Daniel 8:23-26 (NKJV)
23"And in the
latter time of their kingdom,
When the transgressors have
reached their fullness,
A king shall arise,
Having fierce features,
Who understands sinister
schemes.
24His power shall
be mighty, but not by his own power;
He shall destroy fearfully,
And shall prosper and thrive;
He shall destroy the mighty,
and also the holy people.
25"Through his
cunning
He shall cause deceit to
prosper under his rule;
And he shall exalt himself
in his heart.
He shall destroy many in
their prosperity.
He shall even rise against
the Prince of princes;
But he shall be broken without
human means.
26"And the vision of the evenings and mornings
Which was told is true;
Therefore seal up the vision,
For it refers to many days
in the future."
(AMP)
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This description fits in amazing detail the eighth king of Seleucid Dynasty,
one of the divisions of the Grecian Empire - Antiochus
IV Epiphanes, the illustrious one. He came to power in 175 BC
and immediately began to expand his power. This happened some 400 years
after Daniel’s prophecy in the years between the Old and New Testament.
After conquering Egypt in 170 BC he subdued Jerusalem and developed
a hatred for the Jews and set out to eliminate the Jewish religion.
He set up idolatrous
altars in Jerusalem.
He forced Jews
to sacrifice unclean animals in the Temple.
His persecution of the Jews and hatred of the Jewish religion reached
its peak when he erected a statue of Zeus in the Holy of Holies in the
Temple and then sacrificed a pig to Zeus on the altar. This event is referred
to in scripture (including by Jesus in Matthew 24) as the “abomination
of desolation”.
This event was the catalyst for a successful revolt against Antiochus
by Judas Maccabbees. The Temple was rededicated on December 14, 164 BC
and has been celebrated as a feast day by Jewish people ever since - Hanukkah.
Many times in the Old Testament the Bible uses Types and Shadows.
What this means is that a person, place, event, etc. foreshadows or is
a type or model of someone or some thing in the future. In light of this,
another and maybe even greater purpose of repeating this prophecy and focusing
in on Antiochus was to prepare the Jewish people for time when the Antichrist
will come to prominence. Many scholars believe that Antiochus is a type
of the Antichrist.
Through this prophecy God is telling Jewish people what the Antichrist
will be like so that they will not be deceived by him. The words of Jesus
in Matthew 24 seem to indicate this as well when He says that a sign of
the end times would be when another “abomination of desolation” happens.
Matt. 24:15-20 (NKJV)
15 "Therefore when you see the 'abomination of desolation'
(Daniel
11:31; 12:11, NKJV, 535 BC), spoken of by Daniel the prophet,
standing in the holy place" (whoever reads, let him understand), 16"then
let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17Let him
who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house.
18And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes.
19But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing
babies in those days! 20And pray that your flight may not be
in winter or on the Sabbath.
(AMP)
| (NIV)
| (NLT)
| (KJV)
| (NASB)
III. REACTING TO DANIEL’S PROPHECIES
In verse 27 of chapter 8 we are told Daniel’s reaction to these prophesies:
27And I, Daniel, fainted and was sick for days;
afterward I arose and went about the king's business. I was astonished
by the vision, but no one understood it.
He fainted and was sick for days. What is your reaction?
What does all this mean to you and me this morning? What should our
reaction be to the fulfilled and yet to be fulfilled prophecies of Daniel?
1. Confidence in God
The details of prophecy fulfilled should cause us to trust God for
the details of our life as well.
When we look
at what God has done ...
when
we look forward to what He’s going to do ...
we
have stability in an unstable world.
2. Cleanness in Lifestyle
There is a relationship between knowing and understanding prophecy
and holy living.
1
John 3:2-3 (NKJV) “Beloved, now we are children of God; and it
has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is
revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone
who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.”
Jesus could come at any moment! That should motivate us to holy living.
3. Conviction for Service
Fulfilled prophecy means that it is reasonable to assume that what
is yet to be fulfilled will happen. The indications are that the time of
that fulfillment is not very far away. We dare not be silent about the
Good News. |