Daniel chapter eight records for us Daniel’s prophetic vision of Israel’s near future. Daniel had the vision circa 550 BC, and it was fulfilled over the next several hundred years.1 The vision was so disturbing to Daniel, that even though he didn’t understand it all, what he did understand made him exhausted and sick for days.2 Daniel knew the events of the vision would impact his nation, and that was a great concern to him. It also distressed him that God was dishonored.
The vision is understood by Bible scholars to highlight the rise to power of the Medes and Persians, and the influence of the Greek empire through Alexander the Great. The sacrilegious behavior of Antiochus Epiphanes is also foretold, which foreshadows the desecration of the temple by the Antichrist during the time of the tribulation. I write more on Antiochus and Antichrist in Antiochus to Antichrist -Part 1.
Daniel was given understanding of the vision by Gabriel, as directed by God. Gabriel is named twice in Daniel and twice in the Gospel of Luke.3 Luke identifies Gabriel as an angel ‘who stands in the presence of God.’
Approximate Dates BC
551 Daniel’s prophetic vision in Daniel 8 while in Babylonian captivity
539 The Ram: Medes & Persians invade Babylon
336 The Goat (Greece): Alexander the Great becomes king (The large horn)
323 Four conspicuous horns: Alexander’s generals divide the empire after his death
170 The little horn: Antiochus Epiphanes
The Vision
I created the following chart showing Daniel’s description of his vision, and the explanation as given by Gabriel later in chapter eight. I summarize where appropriate and give the verse references. After the chart, I provide comments by Bible teachers and commentators on some of the issues.
| Daniel’s Vision | Meaning of the Vision | |
| Ram (Dan 8:3-4) | ||
| The ram with two horns which none could overpower or deliver from. 3, 4 | The ram represents the kings of Media and Persia. 20 | |
| Goat (Dan 8:5-12) | ||
| The goat overpowered the ram and trampled him, and the goat magnified himself greatly. 5-8 | The shaggy goat represents the kingdom of Greece, and the large horn is the first king. 21 | |
| As soon as the goat was mighty, he was defeated. There came up four conspicuous horns toward the four winds of heaven. 8 | The four horns represent four kingdoms which will arise [but] not with [the first king’s] power. 22 | |
| Out of one conspicuous horn came a smaller horn. It grew exceedingly great toward the south, toward the east, & toward the Beautiful Land. 9 | In the latter period of the four horn’s rule, a king will arise who is insolent and skilled in intrigue. 23 | |
| The smaller horn caused some of the host and some of the stars to fall to the earth and it trampled them down. 10 | The king will be mighty, but not by his own power. He will destroy to an extraordinary degree, prosper, and perform his will; he will destroy mighty men and the holy people. 24 | |
| The smaller horn even magnified itself to be equal with the Commander of the host. 11 | Through the king’s shrewdness he will cause deceit to succeed by his influence; he will magnify himself in his heart, and will destroy many while they are at ease. He will even oppose the Prince of princes, but will be broken without human agency. 25 | |
| The smaller horn removed the regular sacrifice from God’s temple and desecrated it. 11, 12 | “How long will the vision about the regular sacrifice apply, while the transgression causes horror, so as to allow both the holy place and the host to be trampled?” 13 | |
| “For 2,300 evenings and mornings; then the holy place will be properly restored.” 14 |
The Ram
The kings of the Medes and Persians were prophesied to be dominant in their conquests for a time. History shows that about 12 years after Daniel’s vision, the ram overthrows Babylon along with their captive Israelis.
Bible teacher Lewis Johnson says that one of the recognized emblems of Persia was a ram. Also, “Persian coins have been discovered, which display a ram’s head on the obverse and a ram recumbent on the reverse. And in the Zend-Avesta4, Ized Behram, the guardian spirit of Persia appears like a ram.”5
The northern, western, and southern activity of the ram is seen in the warfare of the Medes and Persians. Bible commentator Adam Clarke states, “The principle theatre of their wars, was against the SCYTHIANS, northward; against the GREEKS, westward; and against the EGYPTIANS, southward. There was no other nation at that time that could stay the progress of the Persian arms.”6
The Goat
From ancient history we know this wasn’t a strange symbol. The goat was a common representation of the Greek Empire. “Newton very properly observes that, two hundred years before the time of Daniel, they were called, the goats’ people.”7
King Philip II of Macedonia, “restored internal peace to his country and by 339 had gained domination over all of Greece by military and diplomatic means, thus laying the foundations for its expansion under his son Alexander III the Great.”8
“Not even his numerous armies could defend the king of Persia, though his forces in the battle of Issus amounted to 600,000 men, and in that of Arbela, to 10 or 1100,000, whereas the whole number of Alexander’s was not more than 47,000 in either engagement.”9
Alexander the Great
“He was born in Pella in 356 BC and eventually went on to supplant his father, Phillip II, on the throne of Macedon at the young age of twenty. He followed in his father’s footsteps, basing his rule around military conquests and expansion. He focused on expansion for his empire throughout Asia and Africa. By the age of thirty, ten years after he had taken over the throne, Alexander the Great had created one of the largest empires in the entire ancient world.”10
The world conquest of the Greek empire reached a peak at the helm of Alexander the Great. Verse 5 describes the goat as moving, “over the surface of the whole earth without touching the ground.”11 This is taken to mean that Alexander’s army was able to move very swiftly during its quest for world dominion.
Bible teacher David Guzik commenting about verse 8 says,
“The male goat grew very great: The greatness of Alexander’s Empire was not only in its vast dominion but also in its cultural power. Alexander the Great was determined to spread Greek civilization, culture, and language across every land he conquered.
“As God guided history, He used Alexander’s passion to spread Greek culture to prepare the world for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Because of Alexander’s influence, koine (common) Greek became the common language of the civilized world – and the language of the New Testament (NT).”12
It is interesting to note how God used the Greeks some 330 years before Jesus was born to establish a common language. A common language allowed the good news of the Gospel to spread much easier.
Four Conspicuous Horns (v8)
Alexander had no heirs, and did not divide the empire himself. His four leading generals divided it among themselves by force after his death. The four generals were:
· Cassander, ruling over Greece and its region.
· Lysimachus, ruling over Asia Minor.
· Ptolemy, ruling over Egypt.
· Seleucus, ruling over Syria and Israel’s land.
Daniel’s vision focuses on God’s work in history and the Jewish nation. Therefore we will trace the impact of Seleucus and one of his ancestors as revealed in Daniel’s prophecy.
The Little Horn
Seleucus’ kingdom lasted 247 years, he founded 37 cities, of which 4 are mentioned in the NT (1) Antioch of Syria (Acts 11:19), (2) Seleucia (Acts 13:4), (3) Antioch of Pisidia (Acts 13:14, 14:21; 2 Timothy 3:11), and (4) Laodicea (Colossians 4:13-16; Revelation 1:11, 3:14 ). He named 16 cities after his father Antiochus, hence, Antioch. Eventually, the kingdom was ruled by Antiochus iv, or Antiochus Epiphanes.
John MacArthur explains the fulfillment of verses 9-14:
“The chapter also prophetically outlines the career of Antiochus Epiphanes (175-164 B.C.), called the “little horn”, who, in his idolatry and desecration of the temple, would foreshadow the little horn of chapter 7, that is, the Antichrist (see Revelation 13).”13
This is an example of the near and far fulfillment of prophecy. The near fulfillment of the desecration of the temple was by Antiochus Epiphanes circa 170 BC. The far fulfillment will be when the Antichrist desecrates the temple during the Tribulation.
MacArthur also says,
“This prophecy precisely identified the time as that of Antiochus’s persecution, September 6, 171 BC to December 25, 165/4 BC; after his death the Jews celebrated the cleansing of their holy place, led by Judas Maccabeus, in the Feast of Lights of Hanukkah.”14
Antichrist
The far fulfillment of prophecy by the Antichrist is understood to be from the same passage that Antiochus’s persecution fulfills. In verse 17, Gabriel explains that the vision “pertains to the time of the end.”15 This is thought to speak of the parallelism: the end, meaning the end of the prophetic horizon, fulfilled by Antiochus Ephipanes; and, the end of the world prior to the Messiah returning, fulfilled by the Antichrist.
Bible commentator Ellicott remarks thus,
“The time of the end—i.e., either at the final period of earthly history, or at the time which lies at the limit of the prophetic horizon. St. Jerome observes that what happened in the times of Antiochus was typical of what shall be fulfilled hereafter in Antichrist.”16
The term antichrist appears only in the NT in the letters of the Apostle John (1 John 2:18-22, 4:3; 2 John 1:7). John uses the term to refer to a false teacher who is a liar and deceiver, denying that Jesus is the Messiah.
Easton’s Bible dictionary defines antichrist as: against Christ, or an opposition Christ, a rival Christ.17 The dictionary also lists the following four points:
- This name has been applied to the “little horn” of the “king of fierce countenance” (Daniel 7:24, 25, 8:23-25).
- It has been applied also to the “false Christs” spoken of by our Lord (Matthew 24:5, 23, 24).
- To the “man of sin” described by Paul (2 Thessalonians 2:3, 4, 8-10).
- And to the “beast from the sea” (Revelation 13:1, 17:1-18).
Hasting’s Bible dictionary writes this,
“The great opponent and counterpart of Christ, by whom he is finally to be conquered.
While the precise term ‘Antichrist’ is lacking in Jewish literature, the idea of an opponent who persecutes God’s people and is ultimately to be conquered by the Messiah, is [developed] in the NT period. The beginning of the ‘opponent’ idea may fairly be said to have been Daniel 11:36, where the reference is to Antiochus IV.”18
Smith’s Bible dictionary explains, “The coming of Antichrist was believed to be foretold in the “vile person”19 of Daniel’s prophecy (Daniel 11:21) which received its first accomplishment in Antiochus Epiphanes but of which the complete fulfillment was reserved for the last times. He is identified with “the man of sin, the son of perdition” (2 Thessalonians 2:3).”20
Conclusion
Daniel’s vision foretold of events that took place over the course of about 380 years. Seeing God work in this way can give us assurance that we can trust what God says.
We see the faithfulness of God demonstrated by His working in the world to accomplish His purposes.
Appendix
Daniel’s vision in chapter 8 is fulfilled so precisely that some skeptics think the early date given to his writing is not correct. I write more about this topic in my article, Authenticity of the book of Daniel.
I discuss Biblical visions and some of the differences between a vision and a trance in my post, Dreams, Visions, and Trances.
Gabriel the angel and his four appearances is the topic of Gabriel the Angel.
1 John MacArthur dates the vision as occurring 551 BC.
2 Daniel 8: 27 “Then I, Daniel, was exhausted and sick for days. Then I got up again and carried on the king’s business; but I was astounded at the vision, and there was none to explain it.”
3 Daniel 8:16, 9:21; Luke 1:19, 26.
4 The scriptures of the ancient Persian religion of Zoroastrianism are called the Zend-Avesta. https://www.theosophy.world/encyclopedia/zoroastrianism 9/5/23
5 https://sljinstitute.net/the-prophets/daniel/the-ram-and-the-he-goat/ 9/5/23
6 Commentary on the Bible, by Adam Clarke [1831].
7 Bishop Newton quoted by Adam Clarke
8 https://www.britannica.com/biography/Philip-II-king-of-Macedonia 9/7/23
9Bishop Newton quoted from the Benson Commentary
10 Gill, N.S. “King Philip II of Macedonia.” https://www.thoughtco.com/philip-ii-king-of-macedonia-116819 9/5/23
11 Daniel 8:5 “While I was observing, behold, a male goat was coming from the west over the surface of the whole earth without touching the ground; and the goat had a conspicuous horn between his eyes.”
12 https://enduringword.com/bible-commentary/daniel-8/ 9/5/23
13 John MacArthur study guide on Daniel, Pg 78, 3rd paragraph.
14 MacArthur, Daniel, Pg 79, margin note for verse 14.
15 Daniel 8:17 So he [Gabriel] came near to where I was standing, and when he came I was frightened and fell on my face; but he said to me, “Son of man, understand that the vision pertains to the time of the end.”
16 Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers on Daniel 8:17
17 Easton’s Bible Dictionary on ‘antichrist.’
18 Hasting’s Dictionary of the Bible -article written by Shailer Mathews. Edited for brevity.
19 The NASB translates ‘vile person’ as ‘despicable person.’ Likewise in the Thessalonians passage he is ‘the man of lawlessness, the son of destruction.’
20 Smith’s Bible Dictionary on ‘antichrist’