II Pet. 1:20-21  knowing this first, that no prophecy of scripture is of private interpretation.
                          For no prophecy ever came by the will of man: but men spake from God,
                          being moved by the Holy Spirit.

 
Daniel is a great book to see the hand of God in the affairs of man.  This chapter starts out two years after the vision of the four beasts in chapter seven.

King Belshazzr the ruler that read the handwriting from God on the wall and died that night was in his third year of reigning over the Babylonian Empire.  The alliance of Medo-Persians will vanquish and take his kingdom.  The king was actually a co-regent with his father Nabonidus.

The Word of God gives us the rulers names of Babylon as follows;  Nebuchadnezzar, Evil- Merodach the son of Nebuchadnezzar, and Belshazzar, grandson of Nebuchadnezzar.

Jer. 27:7 And all the nations shall serve him, and his son, and his son's son, until
                  the time of his own land come: and then many nations and great kings
                  shall make him their bondman.
 

               THE VISION COMES TO DANIEL

Much of what Daniel sees in chapter eight recaps the vision two years earlier in chapter seven.

This chapter also has a great deal of Messianic references like the previous chapter.

What Daniel sees and writes will transpire centuries after this is written.

The occasion of the writing and vision is in the third year for the reign of Belshazzar. The year
is about 550 B.C.

Dan. 8:1-2  In the third year of the reign of king Belshazzar a vision appeared unto me,
                     even unto me Daniel, after that which appeared unto me at the first.  And I
                     saw in a vision; and it came to pass, when I saw, that I was at Shushan in
                     the palace, which is in the province of Elam; and I saw in a vision, and I was
                     by the river of Ulai".

Daniel identifies himself by name.  Daniel's integrity falls or stands on fact!

Daniel was down by a river and the vison and revelation of God came to him.

God does not reveal prophecies and supernatural visions today.

The New Testament has been once and for all delivered to the saints.

Jude 3   Beloved, while I was giving all diligence to write unto you of our common salvation,
                I was constrained to write unto you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith
                which was once for all delivered unto the saints.

I Cor. 13:8 And where there was prophecies they shall cease.
 
The Old Testament prophecies told of the christ to come too prepare Israel.

The supernatural revelation and accuracy exalted the God of heaven and his power.

Daniel still has a position of prestige and honor as seen in his being at the palace.  Shushan later
became a famous capitol for the Persian empire.

Dan. 8:2 And I saw in the vision; now it was so, that when I saw, I was in Shushan
                 the palace, which is in the province of Elam; and I saw in the vision, and I
                 was by the river Ulai.

Esther 1:2 that in those days, when the king Ahasuerus sat on the throne of his kingdom,
                    which was in Shushan the palace,
 

The prophet saw a great vision of two animals in a tremendous struggle and fight.

Dan.  8:3-7 Then I lifted up mine eyes, and saw, and, behold, there stood before the river
                   a ram which had two horns: and the two horns were high; but one was higher
                   than the other, and the higher came up last.  I saw the ram pushing westward,
                   and northward, and southward; so that no beasts might stand before him, neither
                   was there any that could deliver out of his hand; but he did according to his will,
                   and became great. And as I was considering, behold, an he goat came from the west
                   on the face of the whole earth, and touched not the ground: and the goat had a notable
                   horn between his eyes.  And he came to the ram that had two horns, which I had seen
                   standing before the river, and ran unto him in the fury of his power.  And I saw him
                   come close unto the ram, and he was moved with choler against him, and smote the
                   ram, and brake his two horns: and there was no power in the ram to stand before him,
                   but he cast him down to the ground, and stamped upon him: and there was none that
                   could deliver the ram out of his hand.
 

The ram is prancing by the river.  The head of the ram had two horns protruding upward.  Both horns which represent power are described as being tall or high. One horn sticks up further than the other horn.  Much like the second kingdom described as the bear stood higher on one side.

The ram pictures the Medo-Persian kingdom, is the second beast in Daniel 7

The Medes and the Persians were nearly equal until Cyrus the great shifted the power to the Persians.

When we think of the Medo-Persian empire the Persians stand out as prominent.

The Medo-Persian empire represented by the ram pushes from east toward the west and north.  This is a perfect picture of the way the persians conquered all of Babylon , Egypt and headed to Asia Minor.

The success of Persia was unchallenged until the military genius of Alexander the Great flew across history.

Just as the second beast in chapter seven was a greedy and ravishing bear that conquered so also is seen in the victories of the ram.  Nothing could stop the Medes and Persians in their conquests.

The ram meets the great goat from the west.  This goat is a he-goat.  The goat is pictured as flying.  This denotes the swiftness of the victories and conquests of the goat.  This he-goat has one great powerful horn between his eyes, on his head.

The third beast of Daniel 7 was a leopard with wings again showing the speed of the Grecian armies.

The scene is being set for a showdown between the ram and the he-goat.
 

                     THE BATTLE BETWEEN THE RAM AND GOAT
 

Dan.  8:8  Therefore the he goat waxed very great: and when he was strong, the great horn
                    was broken; and for it came up four notable ones toward the four winds of heaven.

The he-goat attacks the ram with the high standing horns.

The ram is vanquished and the horns which symbolized power are broken.

The ram falls to the ground and the he-goat stomps and crushes the ram into the ground.

The he-goat could not be stopped by anyone or anything.

Dan. 8:6-7  And he came to the ram that had the two horns, which I saw standing
                       before the river, and ran upon him in the fury of his power.  And I saw
                       him come close unto the ram, and he was moved with anger against
                       him, and smote the ram, and brake his two horns; and there was no power
                       in the ram to stand before him; but he cast him down to the ground, and
                       trampled upon him; and there was none that could deliver the ram out of his hand.

The Horn on the goat of Greece was Alexander the Great.  The battles and victories Alexander
won are astounding.  By the age of 33 years of Alexander had conquered kingdoms and died.
 

            THE BROKEN HORN AND FOUR NEW HORNS

Alexander died and the horn on the he-goat was broken.  Four horns took the kingdom or the
authority of the horn that was broken.  Alexander the Great was not replaced by the son he conceived
with his mate Roxanna.  The kingdom of Alexander was divided among his generals.

The successors to Alexander the great were four of his generals.

Antigonus took the portion of the kingdom from central Asia to the Mediterranean regions.

Cassander ruled the Macedonian portion where Philip and Alexander were from.

Ptolemy Lagi took Egypt and southern Syria for his domain.

Lysimachus ruled the area of Thrace.
 

                      A LITTLE HORN EMERGES

After the division of the empire of Alexander the great to the four generals the kingdom began to splinter and break down into smaller pieces.  The area of Syria and Babylon was later controlled by Seleucus.

From the dynasty of Seleucus would grow a family of very wicked rulers.  The family ruled and were ambitious and cruel.

A ruler named Antiochus Epiphanes came to power and was pictured here as the little horn.
 

Dan. 8:9  And out of one of them came forth a little horn, which waxed exceeding great,
                 toward the south, and toward the east, and toward the pleasant land.
                And it waxed great, even to the host of heaven; and it cast down some of the host
                and of the stars to the ground, and stamped upon them.  Yea, he magnified himself
                even to the prince of the host, and by him the daily sacrifice was taken away, and the
                place of his sanctuary was cast down.   And an host was given him against the daily
                sacrifice by reason of transgression, and it cast down the truth to the ground; and it
                practiced, and prospered. Then I heard one saint speaking, and another saint said unto
                that certain saint which space, How long shall be the vision concerning the daily sacrifice,
                and the transgression of desolation, to give both the sanctuary and the host to be trodden
                under foot?  And he said unto me, Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall
                the sanctuary be cleansed.
 

This little horn Antiochus Ephinanes the IV, robbed temples in Persia, over-ran Egypt, and not least
persecuted the Jews unmercifully!

The host of heaven cast down and stars represented the children of Abraham.

Gen. 15:5  And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven,
                     and number the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto
                     him, So shall thy seed be.

Deut. 1:10  Jehovah your God hath multiplied you, and, behold, ye are this day
                       as the stars of heaven for multitude.

Antiochus IV elevated himself as a god by changing the priests of Israel when God alone had this right.

Antiochus IV claimed Jerusalem as his own possession.

This evil man caused a sow, the epitome of an unclean animal to be offered in the Jewish temple.

He placed an idol to be worshipped in the temple.

Beatings and death were the punishment to the jews who resisted his blasphemy.

In 167 B.C. the temple was desecrated.  Jewish men and women were persecuted.  The law and circumcision was banned under order of death by Antiochis IV.

The power of Antiochus and the desecrations fit nicely with the 2,300 days which is 6 years and about 140 days.  The time of persecution by Antiochus is close to this time frame.
 

             THE INTERPRETATION GIVEN

The sure way to understand Bible prophecy is to let the Bible tell you what is meant in the text of prophecy.
 

Dan. 8:15-18  And it came to pass, when I, even I Daniel, had seen the vision, and sought for
                          the meaning, then, behold, there stood before me as the appearance of a man.
                         And I heard a man’s voice between the banks of Ulai, which called, and said,
                         Gabriel, make this man to understand the vision. So he came near where I stood:
                         and when he came, I was afraid, and fell upon my face: but he said unto me,
                         Understand, O son of man: for at the time of the end shall be the vision.
                         Now as he was speaking with me, I was in a deep sleep on my face toward the
                         ground: but he touched me, and set me upright.

Daniel did not understand the future anymore than you or I would.  God sent his messenger to instruct Daniel on the interpretation.

Gabriel an angelic messenger appeared to Daniel.  This frightened Daniel greatly.  The man of God fell on his face in fear.

The purpose of the messenger was to give Daniel understanding.  The vision dealt with things in the end times.  Before the church was established and messiah came the prophets referred to this as the end time.

The coming of Jesus was the end of Jewish worship, Jewish law, and the exclusive relationship,
that Israel had with the father.

Daniel appears exhausted but Gabriel touches him and makes him sit upright to hear the interpretation of the visions.

Dan. 8:19  And he said, Behold, I will make thee know what shall be in the last end of the
                     indignation: for at the time appointed the end shall be.
 

                   WHAT THE VISION MEANT

DAN. 8:20-25  The ram which thou sawest having two horns are the kings of Media and Persia.
                          And the rough goat is the king of Grecia: and the great horn that is between his
                          is the first king.  Now that being broken, whereas four stood up for it, four
                          kingdoms shall stand up out of the nation, but not in his power.  And in the latter
                          time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king of
                          fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall stand up. And his
                           power shall be mighty, but not by his own power: and he shall destroy wonderfully,
                          and shall prosper, and practise, and shall destroy the mighty and the
                          Holy people. And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand;
                          and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall
                          also stand up against the Prince of princes; but he shall be broken without hand.

Gabriel said the ram was the Medes and Persians so we know this is the proper interpretation.

The he-goat was the king of Greece and the horn was the king himself.

The goat vanquished the ram and stamped its power to the earth.  Nobody or nothing could stop the goat.

The horn broken represented the death of the mighty Grecian king.

Four horns or powerful rulers took his kingdom and it was not with the power he held himself.

The little horn that arose was darkly wicked and cruel.  This king that stood up was Antiochus
Ephiphanes IV.  This king attacked the prince of princes, or the saints.  The end of Antiochus would
be without hand. The king died a horrible death of disease and rot.

God handled the brutal king, human hands did not kill this wicked man.
 

                 ^{THE CONCLUSION OF THE VISION}

The things that would transpire was over for now.  Daniel would come from this encounter exhausted and weak.

Dan. 8:26 And the vision of the evening and the morning which was told is true:
                    wherefore shut thou up the vision; for it shall be for many days.  And I Daniel
                    fainted, and was sick certain days; afterward I rose up, and did the king’s
                    business; and I was astonished at the vision, but none understood it.
 
The vision of Daniel caused him to become weak and sick for a time.  The people could not understand about the  things that God had decreed to come to pass.  The Roman Empire took over from the Babylonians, Meo-Persians and the Greeks.

Christ was born in the fullness of time.  During the last kingdom the church of Christ his kingdom was established.

The church conquered Rome and even the grave cannot prevail against her.

God is in complete control!
 
CONCLUSION

        Believe Christ, John8:24
        Repent of sins, Luke 13:3
        Confess Christ before men, Matthew 10:32
        Be baptized for the remision of sins, Acts 2:38