God's Awesome Prophecy
Daniel 8:1-27
Message #11
Here's a quick review of last message, then we have to jump into what God has for us.
The prophetic side of Daniel is simply about the history of the world-ruling empires. And God tells us about them multiple times. The first vision of the history of the world was in Daniel Chapter 2. It was Nebuchadnezzar's dream of the man statue. Then in Daniel Chapter 7, we revisited the history of the world from God's perspective, in Daniel's vision of the four beasts. In this message, in Chapter 8, we review the history of the world with a focus on some very fine-tuned prophetic truths. Here's the big picture truth I'd like us to grasp in this message: GOD'S PROPHECIES - ARE AWESOME. Be in awe of God's prophetic Word. If God has been one hundred percent accurate on the prophecies in the past, what are the chances that God's prophecies for the future are also one hundred percent accurate?
Daniel 8:1 (NLT)
1 During the third year of King Belshazzar’s reign, I, Daniel, saw another vision, following the one that had already appeared to me.
The previous vision Daniel is referring to is the one we last studied in Chapter 7, and both of these visions came after the visions Nebuchadnezzar had that Daniel interpreted. (The first half.) God gives this world-ruling outline to Nebuchadnezzar and twice to Daniel and then reinforces it throughout the rest of the book. God wants us to know how the history of the world is going to work out.
Daniel 8:2 (NLT)
2 In this vision I was at the fortress of Susa, in the province of Elam, standing beside the Ulai River.
In this vision, Daniel was projected to the city of Susa, which was the capital of the world-ruling empire. The interesting thing is, it wasn't the capital of the world-ruling empire when Daniel had his vision. It became the capital of the Medo-Persian Empire, which would conquer the Babylonian Empire in the near future. So, for starters, Daniel sees himself in the future capital of the ruling Empire of Medo-Persia, which hadn't happened. So much of this chapter is God proving his prophetic accuracy! Incredible! There are 1,187 prophecies in the Bible, and not one that has come to pass has been wrong. And the ones that haven't come to pass - will come to pass.
Ask yourself, why? Why is God going through this trouble to PROVE how one hundred percent accurate his written prophecies are? Is there a chance that God wants to prove his past prophecies to you so that you will believe his future prophecies? I promise you there is.
Daniel 8:3-4 (NLT)
3 As I looked up, I saw a ram with two long horns standing beside the river. One of the horns was longer than the other, even though it had grown later than the other one.
4 The ram butted everything out of his way to the west, to the north, and to the south, and no one could stand against him or help his victims. He did as he pleased and became very great.
This is the Medo-Persian Empire that conquered Babylon. It corresponds to the arms and chest of silver image in Nebuchadnezzar's dream back in Daniel Chapter 2, and it corresponds to the bear in the previous vision (Chapter 7), which we last studied. And just as the bear was lopsided, so one of these horns is longer than the other, representing the strength of Persia over the Medes. Perfectly accurate prophesy, perfectly proven by history.
In the book of Daniel, God is laying out the history of the world over and over again in different ways, to make sure we get it. Using the ram to represent the Medo-Persia Empire is perfect because the pagan "guardian spirit" of that empire was a ram! And the Persian King actually wore the head of a ram when he addressed his army. (Just little details...) So as verse 4 says, the Medo-Persian army could not be stopped, and it easily conquered the known world.
Then, the next world-ruling empire was Greece.
Daniel 8:5-7 (NLT)
5 While I was watching, suddenly a male goat appeared from the west, crossing the land so swiftly that he didn’t even touch the ground. This goat, which had one very large horn between its eyes,
6 headed toward the two-horned ram that I had seen standing beside the river, rushing at him in a rage.
7 The goat charged furiously at the ram and struck him, breaking off both his horns. Now the ram was helpless, and the goat knocked him down and trampled him. No one could rescue the ram from the goat’s power.
This is the incredible world-conquering army of Alexander the Great. When Greece was first established as a colony, it was with the story of a goat leading to their land. And notice the swiftness, the goat's feet didn't even touch the ground.
This swiftness corresponds to the leopard with four wings in Chapter 7, and all the way back to Daniel Chapter 2, this corresponds to the brass belly of the image of a man. Verse 5 says this goat comes "from the west" which is the direction Alexander the Great came to destroy the Medo-Persia Empire. The tremendous speed with which Alexander the Great conquered the world (in 13 years) inspired the Blitzkrieg attacks of Adolf Hitler. That tremendous speed is why verse 5 says this Kingdom's feet didn't touch the ground. But, while Alexander the Great was still in his early thirties, his personal reign came to an abrupt end.
Daniel 8:8 (NLT)
8 The goat became very powerful. But at the height of his power, his large horn was broken off. In the large horn’s place grew four prominent horns pointing in the four directions of the earth.
The large horn being broken off is referring to the sudden death of Alexander the Great, as Alexander the Great died at the peak of his conquests only in his early thirties, from alcoholism and malaria.
There's a story of a High Priest meeting Alexander the Great when he was riding toward Jerusalem. The Priest showed him these verses in Daniel. Alexander the Great looked at them and fell to his knees, stunned that he may be looking at his own history in the Holy Scrolls. And of course, God's prophecy came perfectly to pass.
The four prominent horns in verse 8 are the four generals of Alexander the Great that divided the Kingdom after his death. None of them was ever as powerful as Alexander the Great, but each of them took control of basically one-quarter of the Greek World Empire.
Now, one of those four ruling dynasties was the Seleucid Dynasty, which ruled almost into the New Testament period, and out of this ruling dynasty came a KING who was a forerunner to the Antichrist. His name was Antiochus Epiphanes, and he terrorized the Jewish people for three years during his nine-year reign over this part of the Greek empire. This occurred during what we call the Inter-testament Period, between the Old Testament and the New Testament, around 170 BC. We know a lot about this guy from the Jewish historian Josephus, and from the historical books of 1st and 2nd Maccabees. It is this Antiochus Epiphanes (a forerunner to the ultimate Antichrist) who is perfectly described in the next verses.
Daniel 8:9 (NLT)
9 Then from one of the prominent horns (one of the four Greek Kingdoms) came a small horn whose power grew very great. It extended toward the south and the east and toward the glorious land of Israel.
And then verse 10 makes a possible reference to just how high the power was behind this type of Antichrist.
Daniel 8:10 (NLT)
10 Its power reached to the heavens, where it attacked the heavenly army, throwing some of the heavenly beings and some of the stars to the ground and trampling them.
Some scholars see these "heavenly" beings as a reference to God's Holy People (Israel), and some see a possible connection to the "power behind" Antiochus Epiphanes, which is all the power behind all forerunner Antichrists.
Daniel 8:11-12 (NLT)
11 It even challenged the Commander of heaven’s army by canceling the daily sacrifices offered to him and by destroying his Temple.
12 The army of heaven was restrained from responding to this rebellion. So the daily sacrifice was halted, and truth was overthrown. The horn succeeded in everything it did.
First of all, remember when Daniel is writing, the Temple had already been destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar at the beginning of the Babylonian captivity. So this is the first time anyone hears anything about the Temple being rebuilt.
But God's prophecy is always perfect. This is the Temple built after the captivity by Zerubbabel, and the Temple greatly expanded by Herod in Jesus' day. Unfortunately, in the first vision of it, it is being desecrated by this forerunner of the Antichrist.
Antiochus Epiphanes means "manifestation of god," and it's pretty easy to tell what spiritual power influences the name and him. He hated the Jews, and he attacked them with a supernatural intensity. This one who wanted to be the "manifestation of god" came into the Temple with a pig. He slit its throat and threw the blood of the pig all over the Temple, going even into the Holy of Holies and throwing pigs blood all over. He desecrated the entire Temple. This is called The Abomination of Desolation. Then he set up an entire new system of sacrifices and set himself up as "GOD."
For over three years, he terrorized the Jewish people. He forces them into pagan worship right inside the Temple. He forbade the observance of the Sabbath and circumcision and burned all the sacred scrolls he could get.
Josephus, the historian, tells us of two mothers who unlawfully circumcised their babies, and Antiochus killed the babies, hung them around their mother's necks, then marched them to the high point of the wall and threw them off.
The historical book of Maccabees describes a mother of seven boys who defied his laws, and Antiochus cut out the boy’s tongues then literally fried them to death on a hot surface over a fire, one at a time while she watched.
This pre-runner to the Antichrist killed over 100,000 Jews just prior to the New Testament times, and his reign of terror was perfectly prophesied in God's Word four hundred years before it happened. WHY?? Maybe so you and I will believe what God's Word says about the ultimate Antichrist.
The one thread that runs through ALL forerunner Antichrists is the unnatural desire to destroy God's people, Israel. It should be pretty clear where that spiritual motivation comes from. It reminds us of other forerunners to the Antichrist. We just walked through the Antichrist history of Adolf Hitler at the Holocaust Museum in Jerusalem. We see the same power behind the unnatural commitment to annihilate Israel that radical Islam holds as a top command from their god.
And so, as we often cry "How long oh Lord," even the angels ask the same question in verse 13.
Daniel 8:13-14 (NLT)
13 Then I heard two holy ones talking to each other. One of them asked, “How long will the events of this vision last? How long will the rebellion that causes desecration stop the daily sacrifices? How long will the Temple and heaven’s army be trampled on?”
14 The other replied, “It will take 2,300 evenings and mornings; then the Temple will be made right again.”
Now, this is incredible. The desecration of the Temple was brought to an end by the Maccabean Revolt, which was started by an old priest who died. But the revolt was picked up by Judas "The Hammer" Maccabeus, who led a rebellion that returned the Temple to the Jews and allowed them to re-consecrate the Temple and begin the daily sacrifices again. The number 2,300 evenings and mornings (verse 14) refers to the daily sacrifices - one in the evening and one in the morning. And so, 2,300 evenings and mornings is actually only half that many days or 1,150 days, just over three years. Which is exactly how long the Temple remained desecrated by Antiochus Epiphanes.
What's more, is we know the exact date the Temple was restored because the Jewish people celebrate it every year. When the Temple was taken back by the Maccabean Revolt, the first thing they did was find oil to relight the lamps of the Menorah which were needed to restore the Temple. But they could only find enough oil for one day. So, they put the oil in the lamps and began the eight-day ceremony to re-consecrate the Temple, and miraculously the oil lasted for the full eight days, ending on the 25th day of the 9th month of Kislev (which is our December 25, 165 B.C.) 2,300 evenings and mornings after the desecration of the Temple. And this miraculous eight-day ceremony to rededicate the Temple is celebrated every year as Hanukkah (which means consecration.)
There is not a verse - not one - that is out of place in your Bible. It's proven and proven and proven again, God's prophetic Word remains true and accurate.
So, we have gone through the prophecy, now.
But beginning in verse 15, Daniel wants to understand what he has seen in his vision. And so, AS it is explained to him, we get a good summary. (Because God wants us to know this.)
Daniel 8:15-16 (NLT)
15 As I, Daniel, was trying to understand the meaning of this vision, someone who looked like a man stood in front of me.
16 And I heard a human voice calling out from the Ulai River, “Gabriel, tell this man the meaning of his vision.”
Gabriel is God's special messenger. He appears only four times in scripture (twice in Daniel and twice in Luke), and every time Gabriel is delivering a special message. And so, we read in Daniel 8,
Daniel 8:17-19 (NLT)
17 As Gabriel approached the place where I was standing, I became so terrified that I fell with my face to the ground. “Son of man,” he said, “you must understand that the events you have seen in your vision relate to the time of the end.”
18 While he was speaking, I fainted and lay there with my face to the ground. But Gabriel roused me with a touch and helped me to my feet.
19 Then he said, “I am here to tell you what will happen later in the time of wrath. What you have seen pertains to the very end of time.
So, Gabriel makes it clear that these are end-times prophecies. And now Daniel, years before any of it happens, is going to name the next two world-ruling empires.
Daniel 8:20-22 (NLT)
20 The two-horned ram represents the kings of Media and Persia.
21 The shaggy male goat represents the king of Greece, and the large horn between his eyes represents the first king of the Greek Empire. (Alexander the Great)
22 The four prominent horns that replaced the one large horn show that the Greek Empire will break into four kingdoms, but none as great as the first.
This is absolutely incredible. Daniel is naming the next world-ruling empires before they come on the scene. This prophecy is written so accurately that critics arbitrarily say it must be a forgery because the details are too accurate. But it's not a forgery, and those critics don't have a shred of evidence to support their claims. I think God just wants to blow your mind with His ability to pre-write history.
And now remember, Antiochus Epiphanes is a forerunner of the ultimate Antichrist who will wage the final battle against God. Look at the same mold they come from.
Daniel 8:23-25 (NLT)
23 “At the end of their rule (the 4 Greek rulers), when their sin is at its height, a fierce king, a master of intrigue, will rise to power.
24 He will become very strong, but not by his own power (see Satan there). He will cause a shocking amount of destruction and succeed in everything he does. He will destroy powerful leaders and devastate the holy people.
25 He will be a master of deception and will become arrogant; he will destroy many without warning. He will even take on the Prince of princes in battle, but he will be broken, though not by human power.
This describes Antiochus Epiphanes well, but it also describes the ultimate Antichrist, doesn't it? He will rise to power, destroy and devastate, magnify himself as god and even "take on" the Prince of Princes, and finally, he will be broken, but NOT by human power. And while the Maccabean Revolt was going on in Jerusalem, Antiochus Epiphanes was traveling. And history says he got a mysterious disease that literally caused his flesh to ROT and he DIED - but not by human hands. The ultimate Antichrist will also die (eternally) and also - not by human hands - but by the Word of the Lord.
And then, finally, back in Daniel Chapter 8, we see the following.
Daniel 8:26-27 (NLT)
26 “This vision about the 2,300 evenings and mornings is true. But none of these things will happen for a long time, so keep this vision a secret.”
27 Then I, Daniel, was overcome and lay sick for several days. Afterward I got up and performed my duties for the king, but I was greatly troubled by the vision and could not understand it.
Gabriel says to Daniel -trust me - this vision is true, but it will not happen for a long time. But it still made Daniel sick. And Gabriel was not only talking about the Antiochus Epiphanes Antichrist, but also the ultimate Antichrist who is still in the future. Because the ultimate Antichrist will come just as the forerunners came (although he will come first with a fake peace) with a rage against God's people Israel. Just like the rage of Islam today against Israel (and us.)
This is what the spirit of Antichrist looks like. And maybe the ultimate Antichrist is in the world today, and if not today, we know he will be. We know he will be because God's Word guarantees he will be, and God's Word has been proven accurate time and time again in historical event after historical event.
If God’s Word has been proven accurate regarding the forerunner of Antichrist, then God’s Word will be proven accurate regarding the ultimate Antichrist.
Guys, these prophecies are so amazingly accurate about the kingdoms of the world and the forerunner of the Anti-Christ that it should move us to believe what God says about the ultimate Antichrist. If God has been one hundred percent accurate in his prophecies so far, what's the chance the remainder of his prophecies will be equally as accurate?
God's Word is TRUE.
God's Word is ACCURATE.
God's Word can be TRUSTED COMPLETELY.
And anybody who says it can't be has never honestly studied it.
God's Word says the terror of the ultimate Antichrist is going to be nothing like this world has ever seen. But we have a guarantee of salvation – out of that terror.
Jesus tells the persevering Church of Philadelphia in Revelation, Chapter 3...
Revelation 3:10–11 (ESV)
10 Because you have kept my word about patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world, to try those who dwell on the earth.
11 I am coming soon. Hold fast what you have, so that no one may seize your crown.
Believe God's prophetic Word.
And HOLD FAST the faith you have - so that no one may seize your crown – because Jesus says – I am coming soon.
And if you haven't made the choice to believe God's Word, WHY NOT? Make the choice to believe God and trust his Word. It will radically and eternally change your life.
The prophetic side of Daniel is simply about the history of the world-ruling empires. And God tells us about them multiple times. The first vision of the history of the world was in Daniel Chapter 2. It was Nebuchadnezzar's dream of the man statue. Then in Daniel Chapter 7, we revisited the history of the world from God's perspective, in Daniel's vision of the four beasts. In this message, in Chapter 8, we review the history of the world with a focus on some very fine-tuned prophetic truths. Here's the big picture truth I'd like us to grasp in this message: GOD'S PROPHECIES - ARE AWESOME. Be in awe of God's prophetic Word. If God has been one hundred percent accurate on the prophecies in the past, what are the chances that God's prophecies for the future are also one hundred percent accurate?
Daniel 8:1 (NLT)
1 During the third year of King Belshazzar’s reign, I, Daniel, saw another vision, following the one that had already appeared to me.
The previous vision Daniel is referring to is the one we last studied in Chapter 7, and both of these visions came after the visions Nebuchadnezzar had that Daniel interpreted. (The first half.) God gives this world-ruling outline to Nebuchadnezzar and twice to Daniel and then reinforces it throughout the rest of the book. God wants us to know how the history of the world is going to work out.
Daniel 8:2 (NLT)
2 In this vision I was at the fortress of Susa, in the province of Elam, standing beside the Ulai River.
In this vision, Daniel was projected to the city of Susa, which was the capital of the world-ruling empire. The interesting thing is, it wasn't the capital of the world-ruling empire when Daniel had his vision. It became the capital of the Medo-Persian Empire, which would conquer the Babylonian Empire in the near future. So, for starters, Daniel sees himself in the future capital of the ruling Empire of Medo-Persia, which hadn't happened. So much of this chapter is God proving his prophetic accuracy! Incredible! There are 1,187 prophecies in the Bible, and not one that has come to pass has been wrong. And the ones that haven't come to pass - will come to pass.
Ask yourself, why? Why is God going through this trouble to PROVE how one hundred percent accurate his written prophecies are? Is there a chance that God wants to prove his past prophecies to you so that you will believe his future prophecies? I promise you there is.
Daniel 8:3-4 (NLT)
3 As I looked up, I saw a ram with two long horns standing beside the river. One of the horns was longer than the other, even though it had grown later than the other one.
4 The ram butted everything out of his way to the west, to the north, and to the south, and no one could stand against him or help his victims. He did as he pleased and became very great.
This is the Medo-Persian Empire that conquered Babylon. It corresponds to the arms and chest of silver image in Nebuchadnezzar's dream back in Daniel Chapter 2, and it corresponds to the bear in the previous vision (Chapter 7), which we last studied. And just as the bear was lopsided, so one of these horns is longer than the other, representing the strength of Persia over the Medes. Perfectly accurate prophesy, perfectly proven by history.
In the book of Daniel, God is laying out the history of the world over and over again in different ways, to make sure we get it. Using the ram to represent the Medo-Persia Empire is perfect because the pagan "guardian spirit" of that empire was a ram! And the Persian King actually wore the head of a ram when he addressed his army. (Just little details...) So as verse 4 says, the Medo-Persian army could not be stopped, and it easily conquered the known world.
Then, the next world-ruling empire was Greece.
Daniel 8:5-7 (NLT)
5 While I was watching, suddenly a male goat appeared from the west, crossing the land so swiftly that he didn’t even touch the ground. This goat, which had one very large horn between its eyes,
6 headed toward the two-horned ram that I had seen standing beside the river, rushing at him in a rage.
7 The goat charged furiously at the ram and struck him, breaking off both his horns. Now the ram was helpless, and the goat knocked him down and trampled him. No one could rescue the ram from the goat’s power.
This is the incredible world-conquering army of Alexander the Great. When Greece was first established as a colony, it was with the story of a goat leading to their land. And notice the swiftness, the goat's feet didn't even touch the ground.
This swiftness corresponds to the leopard with four wings in Chapter 7, and all the way back to Daniel Chapter 2, this corresponds to the brass belly of the image of a man. Verse 5 says this goat comes "from the west" which is the direction Alexander the Great came to destroy the Medo-Persia Empire. The tremendous speed with which Alexander the Great conquered the world (in 13 years) inspired the Blitzkrieg attacks of Adolf Hitler. That tremendous speed is why verse 5 says this Kingdom's feet didn't touch the ground. But, while Alexander the Great was still in his early thirties, his personal reign came to an abrupt end.
Daniel 8:8 (NLT)
8 The goat became very powerful. But at the height of his power, his large horn was broken off. In the large horn’s place grew four prominent horns pointing in the four directions of the earth.
The large horn being broken off is referring to the sudden death of Alexander the Great, as Alexander the Great died at the peak of his conquests only in his early thirties, from alcoholism and malaria.
There's a story of a High Priest meeting Alexander the Great when he was riding toward Jerusalem. The Priest showed him these verses in Daniel. Alexander the Great looked at them and fell to his knees, stunned that he may be looking at his own history in the Holy Scrolls. And of course, God's prophecy came perfectly to pass.
The four prominent horns in verse 8 are the four generals of Alexander the Great that divided the Kingdom after his death. None of them was ever as powerful as Alexander the Great, but each of them took control of basically one-quarter of the Greek World Empire.
Now, one of those four ruling dynasties was the Seleucid Dynasty, which ruled almost into the New Testament period, and out of this ruling dynasty came a KING who was a forerunner to the Antichrist. His name was Antiochus Epiphanes, and he terrorized the Jewish people for three years during his nine-year reign over this part of the Greek empire. This occurred during what we call the Inter-testament Period, between the Old Testament and the New Testament, around 170 BC. We know a lot about this guy from the Jewish historian Josephus, and from the historical books of 1st and 2nd Maccabees. It is this Antiochus Epiphanes (a forerunner to the ultimate Antichrist) who is perfectly described in the next verses.
Daniel 8:9 (NLT)
9 Then from one of the prominent horns (one of the four Greek Kingdoms) came a small horn whose power grew very great. It extended toward the south and the east and toward the glorious land of Israel.
And then verse 10 makes a possible reference to just how high the power was behind this type of Antichrist.
Daniel 8:10 (NLT)
10 Its power reached to the heavens, where it attacked the heavenly army, throwing some of the heavenly beings and some of the stars to the ground and trampling them.
Some scholars see these "heavenly" beings as a reference to God's Holy People (Israel), and some see a possible connection to the "power behind" Antiochus Epiphanes, which is all the power behind all forerunner Antichrists.
Daniel 8:11-12 (NLT)
11 It even challenged the Commander of heaven’s army by canceling the daily sacrifices offered to him and by destroying his Temple.
12 The army of heaven was restrained from responding to this rebellion. So the daily sacrifice was halted, and truth was overthrown. The horn succeeded in everything it did.
First of all, remember when Daniel is writing, the Temple had already been destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar at the beginning of the Babylonian captivity. So this is the first time anyone hears anything about the Temple being rebuilt.
But God's prophecy is always perfect. This is the Temple built after the captivity by Zerubbabel, and the Temple greatly expanded by Herod in Jesus' day. Unfortunately, in the first vision of it, it is being desecrated by this forerunner of the Antichrist.
Antiochus Epiphanes means "manifestation of god," and it's pretty easy to tell what spiritual power influences the name and him. He hated the Jews, and he attacked them with a supernatural intensity. This one who wanted to be the "manifestation of god" came into the Temple with a pig. He slit its throat and threw the blood of the pig all over the Temple, going even into the Holy of Holies and throwing pigs blood all over. He desecrated the entire Temple. This is called The Abomination of Desolation. Then he set up an entire new system of sacrifices and set himself up as "GOD."
For over three years, he terrorized the Jewish people. He forces them into pagan worship right inside the Temple. He forbade the observance of the Sabbath and circumcision and burned all the sacred scrolls he could get.
Josephus, the historian, tells us of two mothers who unlawfully circumcised their babies, and Antiochus killed the babies, hung them around their mother's necks, then marched them to the high point of the wall and threw them off.
The historical book of Maccabees describes a mother of seven boys who defied his laws, and Antiochus cut out the boy’s tongues then literally fried them to death on a hot surface over a fire, one at a time while she watched.
This pre-runner to the Antichrist killed over 100,000 Jews just prior to the New Testament times, and his reign of terror was perfectly prophesied in God's Word four hundred years before it happened. WHY?? Maybe so you and I will believe what God's Word says about the ultimate Antichrist.
The one thread that runs through ALL forerunner Antichrists is the unnatural desire to destroy God's people, Israel. It should be pretty clear where that spiritual motivation comes from. It reminds us of other forerunners to the Antichrist. We just walked through the Antichrist history of Adolf Hitler at the Holocaust Museum in Jerusalem. We see the same power behind the unnatural commitment to annihilate Israel that radical Islam holds as a top command from their god.
And so, as we often cry "How long oh Lord," even the angels ask the same question in verse 13.
Daniel 8:13-14 (NLT)
13 Then I heard two holy ones talking to each other. One of them asked, “How long will the events of this vision last? How long will the rebellion that causes desecration stop the daily sacrifices? How long will the Temple and heaven’s army be trampled on?”
14 The other replied, “It will take 2,300 evenings and mornings; then the Temple will be made right again.”
Now, this is incredible. The desecration of the Temple was brought to an end by the Maccabean Revolt, which was started by an old priest who died. But the revolt was picked up by Judas "The Hammer" Maccabeus, who led a rebellion that returned the Temple to the Jews and allowed them to re-consecrate the Temple and begin the daily sacrifices again. The number 2,300 evenings and mornings (verse 14) refers to the daily sacrifices - one in the evening and one in the morning. And so, 2,300 evenings and mornings is actually only half that many days or 1,150 days, just over three years. Which is exactly how long the Temple remained desecrated by Antiochus Epiphanes.
What's more, is we know the exact date the Temple was restored because the Jewish people celebrate it every year. When the Temple was taken back by the Maccabean Revolt, the first thing they did was find oil to relight the lamps of the Menorah which were needed to restore the Temple. But they could only find enough oil for one day. So, they put the oil in the lamps and began the eight-day ceremony to re-consecrate the Temple, and miraculously the oil lasted for the full eight days, ending on the 25th day of the 9th month of Kislev (which is our December 25, 165 B.C.) 2,300 evenings and mornings after the desecration of the Temple. And this miraculous eight-day ceremony to rededicate the Temple is celebrated every year as Hanukkah (which means consecration.)
There is not a verse - not one - that is out of place in your Bible. It's proven and proven and proven again, God's prophetic Word remains true and accurate.
So, we have gone through the prophecy, now.
But beginning in verse 15, Daniel wants to understand what he has seen in his vision. And so, AS it is explained to him, we get a good summary. (Because God wants us to know this.)
Daniel 8:15-16 (NLT)
15 As I, Daniel, was trying to understand the meaning of this vision, someone who looked like a man stood in front of me.
16 And I heard a human voice calling out from the Ulai River, “Gabriel, tell this man the meaning of his vision.”
Gabriel is God's special messenger. He appears only four times in scripture (twice in Daniel and twice in Luke), and every time Gabriel is delivering a special message. And so, we read in Daniel 8,
Daniel 8:17-19 (NLT)
17 As Gabriel approached the place where I was standing, I became so terrified that I fell with my face to the ground. “Son of man,” he said, “you must understand that the events you have seen in your vision relate to the time of the end.”
18 While he was speaking, I fainted and lay there with my face to the ground. But Gabriel roused me with a touch and helped me to my feet.
19 Then he said, “I am here to tell you what will happen later in the time of wrath. What you have seen pertains to the very end of time.
So, Gabriel makes it clear that these are end-times prophecies. And now Daniel, years before any of it happens, is going to name the next two world-ruling empires.
Daniel 8:20-22 (NLT)
20 The two-horned ram represents the kings of Media and Persia.
21 The shaggy male goat represents the king of Greece, and the large horn between his eyes represents the first king of the Greek Empire. (Alexander the Great)
22 The four prominent horns that replaced the one large horn show that the Greek Empire will break into four kingdoms, but none as great as the first.
This is absolutely incredible. Daniel is naming the next world-ruling empires before they come on the scene. This prophecy is written so accurately that critics arbitrarily say it must be a forgery because the details are too accurate. But it's not a forgery, and those critics don't have a shred of evidence to support their claims. I think God just wants to blow your mind with His ability to pre-write history.
And now remember, Antiochus Epiphanes is a forerunner of the ultimate Antichrist who will wage the final battle against God. Look at the same mold they come from.
Daniel 8:23-25 (NLT)
23 “At the end of their rule (the 4 Greek rulers), when their sin is at its height, a fierce king, a master of intrigue, will rise to power.
24 He will become very strong, but not by his own power (see Satan there). He will cause a shocking amount of destruction and succeed in everything he does. He will destroy powerful leaders and devastate the holy people.
25 He will be a master of deception and will become arrogant; he will destroy many without warning. He will even take on the Prince of princes in battle, but he will be broken, though not by human power.
This describes Antiochus Epiphanes well, but it also describes the ultimate Antichrist, doesn't it? He will rise to power, destroy and devastate, magnify himself as god and even "take on" the Prince of Princes, and finally, he will be broken, but NOT by human power. And while the Maccabean Revolt was going on in Jerusalem, Antiochus Epiphanes was traveling. And history says he got a mysterious disease that literally caused his flesh to ROT and he DIED - but not by human hands. The ultimate Antichrist will also die (eternally) and also - not by human hands - but by the Word of the Lord.
And then, finally, back in Daniel Chapter 8, we see the following.
Daniel 8:26-27 (NLT)
26 “This vision about the 2,300 evenings and mornings is true. But none of these things will happen for a long time, so keep this vision a secret.”
27 Then I, Daniel, was overcome and lay sick for several days. Afterward I got up and performed my duties for the king, but I was greatly troubled by the vision and could not understand it.
Gabriel says to Daniel -trust me - this vision is true, but it will not happen for a long time. But it still made Daniel sick. And Gabriel was not only talking about the Antiochus Epiphanes Antichrist, but also the ultimate Antichrist who is still in the future. Because the ultimate Antichrist will come just as the forerunners came (although he will come first with a fake peace) with a rage against God's people Israel. Just like the rage of Islam today against Israel (and us.)
This is what the spirit of Antichrist looks like. And maybe the ultimate Antichrist is in the world today, and if not today, we know he will be. We know he will be because God's Word guarantees he will be, and God's Word has been proven accurate time and time again in historical event after historical event.
If God’s Word has been proven accurate regarding the forerunner of Antichrist, then God’s Word will be proven accurate regarding the ultimate Antichrist.
Guys, these prophecies are so amazingly accurate about the kingdoms of the world and the forerunner of the Anti-Christ that it should move us to believe what God says about the ultimate Antichrist. If God has been one hundred percent accurate in his prophecies so far, what's the chance the remainder of his prophecies will be equally as accurate?
God's Word is TRUE.
God's Word is ACCURATE.
God's Word can be TRUSTED COMPLETELY.
And anybody who says it can't be has never honestly studied it.
God's Word says the terror of the ultimate Antichrist is going to be nothing like this world has ever seen. But we have a guarantee of salvation – out of that terror.
Jesus tells the persevering Church of Philadelphia in Revelation, Chapter 3...
Revelation 3:10–11 (ESV)
10 Because you have kept my word about patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world, to try those who dwell on the earth.
11 I am coming soon. Hold fast what you have, so that no one may seize your crown.
Believe God's prophetic Word.
And HOLD FAST the faith you have - so that no one may seize your crown – because Jesus says – I am coming soon.
And if you haven't made the choice to believe God's Word, WHY NOT? Make the choice to believe God and trust his Word. It will radically and eternally change your life.