Summary of Daniel 8:15-27
Gabriel, an angel and a frequent messenger in the Bible, was instructed by Jesus to explain the vision. He explains the vision is about the End Times.
The two-horned ram that you saw represents the kings of Media and Persia. The shaggy goat is the king of Greece, and the large horn between its eyes is the first king. The four horns that replaced the one that was broken off represent four kingdoms that will emerge from his nation but will not have the same power.
Another king will arise. He will become very strong, but not by his own power. He will cause astounding devastation and will succeed in whatever he does. He will destroy those who are mighty, the holy people. He will destroy many and take his stand against the Prince of princes. Yet he will be destroyed, but not by human power.
Daniel was worn out and exhausted from what he saw. Then he went about the king’s business.
BSF Study Questions Exile & Return: A Time to Build Lesson 6, Day 5: Daniel 8:15-27
Conclusions BSF Study Questions Exile & Return: A Time to Build Lesson 6, Day 5: Daniel 8:15-27
I love how God leads us and doesn’t totally leave us in the dark. This helps us to better follow Him when we have some understanding of what He is saying.
End Notes BSF Study Questions Exile & Return: A Time to Build Lesson 6, Day 5: Daniel 8:15-27
Ulai is a river in Persia. Here is a map of Susa and the Ulai Canal.
Though this prophecy was fulfilled with the Medo-Persian and Greek empires, this also refers to the End Times and the Antichrist.
Sealing of the vision refers to the fact that this is prophecy and would take place far in the future.
Daniel was most likely overwhelmed because he just couldn’t understand how God could allow such a travesty and evil to happen. Yet, he still had a job to do, and he did it.
Note the term “son of man” here refers to Daniel, a literal son of a man. You see this in Ezekiel, too (Ezekiel 2:1, 3; 3:1, 10; 4:16; 6:2; 7:2; 11:2)
END NOTES SUMMARIZED
Daniel 8:15-27 is the angel Gabriel’s direct interpretation of the preceding vision, revealing a specific and terrifying period of future persecution against God’s people.
The interpretation of its key elements is as follows:
- The Empires Identified: Gabriel explicitly confirms the identities of the beasts. The two-horned ram is the Medo-Persian Empire, and the goat is the Greek Empire. The goat’s first great horn is its first king, Alexander the Great, whose empire is then divided into four kingdoms.
- A Profile of the Antagonist: The interpretation focuses on the “little horn,” identifying him as a cunning, cruel, and blasphemous king (historically Antiochus IV Epiphanes) who will rise from one of the Greek kingdoms. He will persecute the “holy people” and halt the daily sacrifices in the Temple.
- A Supernatural Conflict: The interpretation frames this as a spiritual battle. The king becomes powerful “not by his own power” and is ultimately destroyed “but not by human power.” This reveals that the conflict is a direct confrontation between a supernaturally empowered tyrant and the “Prince of princes” (God).
- A Sobering Prophecy: The vision is so disturbing in its detail of future suffering that Daniel is left physically ill. It is a sobering look at a coming tribulation for the faithful, but it carries the ultimate hope that the persecutor’s reign is limited and his destruction is guaranteed by God Himself.
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