READ: Dan. 8:1–22: … I am making known to you what shall happen …
Two years later, Daniel receives another vision. This vision continues the one from chapter 7 and can be seen as an enlargement of part of that previous vision. Once again, the Lord shows how His people can remain standing in the face of advancing hostile powers.
Above all, it becomes clear that everything is in God’s hands—He governs the world through all violence and temptation so that His Son may come to save and preserve His people.
The vision contains two animals: a ram with two horns of unequal size, and a goat with a single horn between its eyes. These represent two kingdoms that fight each other. First, the vision itself is described. It has such a deep impact on Daniel that he falls into a deep sleep. But the angel Gabriel wakes him up to provide further explanation.
From verse 13 onward, we read the interpretation. The first kingdom—the powerful ram—is the Medo-Persian Empire, which expands without much resistance in various directions under two kings (the Medes and the Persians).
But then comes the second kingdom, the Greek Empire—the goat—which defeats the ram. This Greek kingdom becomes increasingly powerful and expands widely, especially toward the south and east, including Canaan, the Beautiful Land (v.9), where God’s people live (cf. Jer. 3:19).
The goat’s single horn (Alexander the Great, who dies at a young age) breaks off, and in its place come four horns (the kingdoms of Macedonia, Asia Minor, Syria, and Egypt).
From these emerges a fifth, smaller horn: Antiochus Epiphanes IV of the Seleucid Empire in the Middle East. This little horn becomes increasingly powerful, even exalting itself against God and His worship. In God’s temple, instead of priests offering daily burnt offerings to the LORD, Greek gods are now worshipped with sacrifices.. True worship (v.12) is replaced with false worship.
Do we see attacks on worship today as well?
Sing: Ps. 56:2