If I Were Told the Future - Lesson 18

The Ram and the Goat

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The Ram and the Goat

Let's pray together before beginning this lesson:

O Lord,

May our study of the book of Daniel help us to trust more and more Your prophetic Word, as well as the rest of Your Holy Scriptures.

We also ask You to give us the will and the courage we need to share this knowledge with those around us, rather than selfishly keeping these precious treasures for ourselves.

In Jesus Christ we pray.

Amen.

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The Ram and the Goat

Hebrews 5:13,14	Comments
For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.	Remembering one of the seven keys allowing a proper understanding of Bible prophecy, that is, ŤSimple prophecies first, then complex onesť, we now continue our study of the book of Daniel by taking up the prophecy contained in chapter 8: the ram and the goat.

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Daniel 8:1	Comments
In the third year of the reign of King Belshazzar a vision appeared to me - to me, Daniel - after the one that appeared to me the first time.	Two years after his vision of the mythical beasts, which we studied in our last lesson, Daniel received another one, just as interesting as the first one. This vision constitutes the prophecy of the ram and the goat.

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Daniel 8:3	Comments
Then I lifted my eyes and saw, and there, standing beside the river, was a ram which had two horns, and the two horns were high; but one was higher than the other, and the higher one came up last.	Daniel's vision begins with a ram which has two horns unequal in length. In our last lesson, we learned that a beast symbolizes a kingdom, a political power. What kingdom does this ram symbolize?
Daniel 7:23
The fourth beast shall be a fourth kingdom on earth.

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Daniel 8:16,20	Comments
And I heard a man's voice between the banks of the Ulai, who called, and said, ŤGabriel, make this man understand the vision.ť (...) ŤThe ram which you saw, having the two horns - they are the kings of Media and Persia.ť	Bible prophecy does not give way to interpretation! Sent by God, the angel Gabriel himself answers the question: the ram symbolizes the Medo-Persian Empire. Since at that time the kingdom of Babylon was just about to fall, we notice that the prophecy begins immediately with the kingdom of Media and Persia, which overthrew Babylon in 539 B.C.

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Daniel 8:3	Comments
Then I lifted my eyes and saw, and there, standing beside the river, was a ram which had two horns, and the two horns were high; but one was higher than the other, and the higher one came up last.	Just as in Daniel 7, in which the bear was raised up on one side, the ram has two horns unequal in length, symbolizing the superiority of some over others within the Medo-Persian kingdom.
Daniel 7:5
And suddenly another beast, a second, like a bear. It was raised up on one side.

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The Ram and the Goat

Daniel 8:3

Comments

There, standing beside the river, was a ram which had two horns, and the two horns were high; but one was higher than the other, and the higher one came up last.

Prophecy is very precise: the higher horn Ťcame up lastť.

Indeed, history teaches us that the Medo-Persian Empire was, in its early stages, marked by the domination of the Medes.

But in 550 B.C., a conflict within the empire brought the victory of the Persian Cyrus II the Great over Astyages of Media, thus fulfilling the prophecy.

However, the Medes were not treated as subjugated people by the Persians, but rather as confederates.

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Daniel 8:4

Comments

I saw the ram pushing westward, northward, and southward, so that no beast could withstand him.

As foretold, the successive conquests of the Medo-Persian kingdom spread its empire in the mentioned directions:

    - before invading the kingdom of Babylon in 539 B.C., King Cyrus had struck westward by conquering Lydia in 547 B.C.;

    - afterwards, Cambyses struck southward by invading Egypt and Nubia in 525 B.C.;

    - then Darius 1st, son of Hystapes, struck northward by overcoming the Scythians in 513 B.C.

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The Ram and the Goat

Daniel 8:4	Comments
I saw the ram pushing westward, northward, and southward, so that no beast could withstand him; nor was there any that could deliver from his hand, but he did according to his will and became great.	The Medo-Persian Empire covered so much territory that when the king of Persia, Xerxes (Ahasuerus), began to reign, in 510 B.C., his kingdom was stretching from India to Ethiopia.

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Daniel 8:5	Comments
And as I was considering, suddenly a male goat came from the west, across the surface of the whole earth, without touching the ground; and the goat had a notable horn between his eyes.	As he was considering the ram, Daniel saw a goat coming from the west. What does this new beast symbolize?

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Daniel 8:21	Comments
The male goat is the kingdom of Greece. The large horn that is between its eyes is the first king.	Here again, the angel Gabriel gives us the answer directly: the goat symbolizes Greece. The large horn represents the first king of the Greek Empire: Alexander the Great.

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Daniel 8:5	Comments
And as I was considering, suddenly a male goat came from the west, across the surface of the whole earth, without touching the ground.	Coming from the west, the Greek Empire struck in turn the Medo-Persian kingdom. As symbolized by the winged leopard (also representing Greece in the prophecy of Daniel 7), and the goat which does not touch the ground, the victory of the Greeks over the Medo-Persian kingdom was very swift.
Daniel 7:6
There was another, like a leopard, which had on its back four wings of a bird.

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Daniel 8:6,7

Comments

Then he came to the ram that had two horns, which I had seen standing beside the river, and ran at him with furious power.

And I saw him confronting the ram; he was moved with rage against him, attacked the ram, and broke his two horns.

There was no power in the ram to withstand him, but he cast him down to the ground and trampled him; and there was no one that could deliver the ram from his hand.

Thus, Alexander the Great overcame Darius III Codomannus, king of Persia, at the Battle of Arbela, in 331 B.C.

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Daniel 8:8,22	Comments
Therefore the male goat grew very great; but when he became strong, the large horn was broken, and in place of it four notable ones came up. (...) As for the broken horn and the four that stood up in its place, four kingdoms shall arise out of that nation.	Just as the prophecy foretold, Alexander the Great died at the height of his fame, in 323 B.C., at the age of 32, only a few years after the conquest of the Medo-Persian kingdom. He was then succeeded by his four generals: - Lysimachus; - Cassander; - Ptolemy; - Seleucus.

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Daniel 7:6	Comments
After this I looked, and there was another, like a leopard, which had on its back four wings of a bird. The beast also had four heads, and dominion was given to it.	In the previous prophecy (Daniel chapter 7), the prediction of the division of the Greek empire between four rulers was suggested by the the leopard with four heads. The prophecy of Daniel chapter 8, which contains more details, now confirms this interpretation.

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Daniel 8:8

Comments

Four notable [horns] came up toward the four winds of heaven.

The Greek generals shared the empire Ťtoward the four winds of heavenť.

    - Northward, Lysimachus took Thrace and most of Asia Minor.

    - Southward, Ptolemy acquired Egypt, Palestine and the south of Syria.

    - Eastward, Seleucus seized the rest of Asia Minor, the north of Syria, and the East nearly to the Indus River.

    - Westward, Cassander kept Macedonia, and nominal sovereignty over Greece.

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Daniel 8:22	Comments
As 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.	Of course, the division of the Greek Empire contributed to its weakening, thus preparing the ground for the next universal kingdom...

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Daniel 8:9

Comments

And out of one of them came a little horn which grew exceedingly great toward the south, toward the east, and toward the Glorious Land.

Indeed, just as we saw in our last two lessons, the Greek Empire was conquered by the Roman Empire, at the Battle of Pydna in 168 B.C., when Lucius Aemilius Paulus defeated Perseus, the last king of Macedonia.

Then, exactly as foretold, Rome spread its dominion:

    - toward the east with Syria in 65 B.C;

    - toward the south with Egypt, after a long protectorate, in 30 B.C.;

    - and also Ťtoward the Glorious Landť, that is, toward Palestine, in 63 B.C.

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Daniel 8:10,11	Comments
And it grew up to the host of heaven; and it cast down some of the host and some of the stars to the ground, and trampled them. He even exalted himself as high as the Prince of the host.	Rome Ťgrew up to the host of heavenť, Ťas high as the Prince of the hostť. As foretold, Jesus, Prince of the heavenly host, was crucified under the authority of Rome.
Revelation 19:13,14
His name is called The Word of God. And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses.

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Daniel 8:11	Comments
He even exalted himself as high as the Prince of the host; and by him the daily sacrifices were taken away, and the place of His sanctuary was cast down.	As foretold, Rome Ťcast down the place of His sanctuaryť, when, in A.D. 70, the Roman legions led by Titus besieged and destroyed the city of Jerusalem, burning down its temple.
Luke 21:20
But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is near.

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Daniel 8:11	Comments
He even exalted himself as high as the Prince of the host; and by him the daily sacrifices were taken away, and the place of His sanctuary was cast down.	The work of Rome against the Prince of the host and Messiah, and against Jerusalem and its temple, will be the subject of a future lesson about Daniel chapter 9.
Daniel 9:26
And after the sixty-two weeks Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself; and the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary.

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Daniel 8:9

Comments

And out of one of them came a little horn which grew exceedingly great toward the south, toward the east, and toward the Glorious Land.

You may have noticed that, in our last lesson, the Roman Empire was symbolized by a beast with iron teeth, and that the little horn arose only after this beast.

So, why does the little horn now designate Rome?

Here is why: Daniel 8 gives us more clues about the identity of this power, in addition to those that we have already found in Daniel 7.

First, we can see here that the identity of the little horn is closely linked with the name of Rome.

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Daniel 7:7,8,19,20	Comments
Behold, a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, exceedingly strong. (...) It had ten horns. I was considering the horns, and there was another horn, a little one, coming up among them. (...) Then I wished to know the truth about (...) the ten horns that were on its head, and about the other horn which came up.	The prophecy of Daniel 7, subject of our last lesson, had already told us that the little horn was closely linked with Rome. Indeed, we saw the little horn coming up, like the other ten horns, directly from the head of the fourth beast, which symbolizes the Roman Empire.

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Daniel 8:10,11	Comments
And it grew up to the host of heaven; and it cast down some of the host and some of the stars to the ground, and trampled them. He even exalted himself as high as the Prince of the host; and by him the daily sacrifices were taken away, and the place of His sanctuary was cast down.	In a symbolic way, this power having succeeded to the Roman Empire, although closely linked with the name of Rome, also Ťexalted himself as high as the Prince of the hostsť (Jesus), attacking the daily sacrifices. We must remember these valuable clues to identify the little horn.

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Daniel 8:12	Comments
Because of transgression, an army was given over to the horn to oppose the daily sacrifices; and he cast truth down to the ground. He did all this and prospered.	According to the prophecy, the little horn attacks the work of sacrifice Jesus performed for the salvation of men. It successfully darkens this perfect work, thus Ťcasting truth down to the groundť, and prospering doing all this.

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Daniel 8:13,14	Comments
Then I heard a holy one speaking; and another holy one said to that certain one who was speaking, ŤHow long will the vision be, concerning the daily sacrifices and the transgression of desolation, the giving of both the sanctuary and the host to be trampled under foot?ť And he said to me, ŤFor two thousand three hundred days; then the sanctuary shall be cleansed.ť	In the heart of the prophecy of Daniel 8, as the lethal work of the little horn is presented, a question is asked: ŤHow long?ť We will study this passage in detail in our lesson ŤThe 2300 Daysť.

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Daniel 8:16,23	Comments
And I heard a man's voice between the banks of the Ulai, who called, and said, ŤGabriel, make this man understand the vision.ť (...) ŤAnd 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.ť	As we have just seen, the angel Gabriel was sent to make Daniel understand the meaning of his vision. Gabriel gives interesting details about the little horn. First, the leader of this power will be Ťa king having fierce features, who understands sinister schemesť.

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Daniel 8:24	Comments
His 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.	Here is another clue: the mighty power of the little horn does not come from Ťhis own powerť, but rather from an outer source. Also, it attacks the holy people, and overcomes them, as we saw in our last lesson.
Daniel 7:21
The same horn was making war against the saints, and prevailing against them.

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Daniel 8:24,25	Comments
He shall destroy fearfully, and shall prosper and thrive; he shall destroy the mighty, and also the holy people. Through his cunning he shall cause deceit to prosper under his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart. He shall destroy many in their prosperity. He shall even rise against the Prince of princes.	The case of the little horn is far from brilliant: Ťhe shall destroy fearfullyť, Ťdestroy the mighty, and also the holy peopleť, Ťdestroy many in their prosperityť, Ťrise againstť Jesus, Ťthe Prince of princesť...

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Daniel 8:25	Comments
He shall even rise against the Prince of princes; but he shall be broken without human hand.	Fortunately, the sad reign of the little horn will end abruptly, Ťwithout human handť, an expression which reminds us of the way the stone destroyed the image in the prophecy of Daniel chapter 2.
Daniel 2:34
You watched while a stone was cut out without hands, which struck the image on its feet of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces.

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Daniel 8:15

Comments

Now it happened, when I, Daniel, had seen the vision and was seeking the meaning...

Just as Daniel did, we must seek to understand this prophecy.

However, we must recognize that the angel Gabriel has already provided us with most of the interpretation! In fact, we only have to identify the power symbolized by the little horn, and the picture will be complete.

Let's therefore review the nine clues we found in Daniel 7 in our previous lesson, and the nine others contained in Daniel 8.

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Daniel 7 has already given us these 9 clues about the little horn :

1. It came up among the ten nations (DANIEL 7:8).
2. It rose after the ten nations, that is, after A.D. 476 (DANIEL 7:24).
3. It has a greater appearance than the ten nations (DANIEL 7:20).
4. A man sits at its head (eyes like the eyes of a man) (DANIEL 7:8).
5. It plucked out three nations (DANIEL 7:8,20,24):
         - Heruli, in A.D. 493;
         - Vandals, in A.D. 534;
         - Ostrogoths, in A.D. 538.
6. It blasphemed against God, speaking pompous words (DANIEL 7:8,20,25).
7. It made war against the saints (DANIEL 7:21,25).
8. It intended to change times and law (DANIEL 7:25).
9. It reigned during exactly 1260 years, from 538 to 1798 (DANIEL 7:25).

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Daniel 8 gives us 9 more clues about the little horn :

10. Its identity is closely linked with the name of Rome (DANIEL 8:8,9).
11. It exalts itself as high as Jesus, the Prince of the host, opposing
the daily sacrifices (DANIEL 8:10-12,25).
12. It successfully casts truth down to the ground (DANIEL 8:12).
13. It has fierce features, and acts through cunning (DANIEL 8:23,25).
14. Its power comes from an outer source (DANIEL 8:24).
15. It destroys the holy people (DANIEL 8:24). [Clue already seen]
16. It magnifies itself in its heart (DANIEL 8:25). [Clue already seen]
17. It destroys fearfully, destroys the mighty, and many in their prosperity (DANIEL 8:24,25).
18. Its reign will end abruptly, Ťwithout human handť (DANIEL 8:25).

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Luke 11:9	Comments
Seek, and you will find.	As we have seen in our previous lesson, we will discover the identity of the little horn in a future lesson. Meanwhile, we encourage you to think about it. Do not hesitate to consult history books and encyclopedias: with the help of the 18 clues provided by the Word of God, you will surely discover the identity of the power symbolized by the little horn. You might be quite surprised...

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Daniel 8:17,19	Comments
[The angel Gabriel] said to me, ŤUnderstand, son of man, that the vision refers to the time of the end.ť (...) And he said, ŤLook, 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.ť	Just as for all the prophecies found in the book of Daniel, understanding this prophecy is all the more important since it especially concerns the generation who will live during the last days of this world. Thus the order ŤUnderstand!ť applies even more to us than to Daniel!

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Let's thank God:

Father,

As we progress in our study of the book of Daniel, we find more and more precise and detailed prophecies. The fulfillment of these prophecies strengthens our trust in Your Word.

As for the events not yet fulfilled, they call us to seriously and conscientiously prepare ourselves.

Please help us to pay attention to the vital warnings You give us through Your prophetic Word.

We thank You for Your presence and Your love. In Jesus Christ we pray.

Amen.

The Ram and the Goat

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The Ram and the Goat

The test of Lesson 18 is waiting for you!

Click here to send us your questions or comments about our Web site and products. Copyright Š2002 Cyberspace Ministry

Click here to send us your questions or comments about our Web site and products.
Copyright Š2002 Cyberspace Ministry