The Ram and the Goat
The Ram and the Goat
Some of us may remember our Elementary and High school history lessons of ancient times. I remember studying about Alexander the Great. A great soldier who conquered any one that came against him. He was very impressive. Little did I know that Alexander the Great was prophesied in the Bible to reign. And he did reign and his reign ended abruptly as prophesied in the book of Daniel.
In our lesson for today, we continue with the visions and revelation given to Daniel by God. Chapter 8 of Daniel is a continuation and an enlargement of two segments of the visions in chapters 2 and 7. Today we study about the Ram and the Goat and learn more about the Medo-Persian kingdom and the Greece kingdom.
Our God who created all things knows all things. God knew exactly when these kingdoms would reign and how they will shape the world through their influence. The Greek philosophy is still influencing the whole world today. Some of it good and some are not so good and/or outright contrary to the truth of the Word of God. The Greeks introduced to the world the idea that anything that is not arrived by reasoning and logic is false. It sounds good but we know that this is contrary to the word of God (See Daniel 8:25 “He will cause deceit to prosper”). We walk by faith and not by sight (or reasoning). The only truth is what God says in His Word. Let’s see what Daniel saw in his vision.
Daniel 8:
1 In the third year of King Belshazzar's reign, I, Daniel, had a vision, after the one that had already appeared to me. 2 In my vision I saw myself in the citadel of Susa in the province of Elam; in the vision I was beside the Ulai Canal. 3 I looked up, and there before me was a ram with two horns, standing beside the canal, and the horns were long. One of the horns was longer than the other but grew up later. 4 I watched the ram as he charged toward the west and the north and the south. No animal could stand against him, and none could rescue from his power. He did as he pleased and became great.
5 As I was thinking about this, suddenly a goat with a prominent horn between his eyes came from the west, crossing the whole earth without touching the ground. 6 He came toward the two-horned ram I had seen standing beside the canal and charged at him in great rage. 7 I saw him attack the ram furiously, striking the ram and shattering his two horns. The ram was powerless to stand against him; the goat knocked him to the ground and trampled on him, and none could rescue the ram from his power. 8 The goat became very great, but at the height of his power his large horn was broken off, and in its place four prominent horns grew up toward the four winds of heaven.
9 Out of one of them came another horn, which started small but grew in power to the south and to the east and toward the Beautiful Land. 10 It grew until it reached the host of the heavens, and it threw some of the starry host down to the earth and trampled on them. 11 It set itself up to be as great as the Prince of the host; it took away the daily sacrifice from him, and the place of his sanctuary was brought low. 12 Because of rebellion, the host of the saints [a] and the daily sacrifice were given over to it. It prospered in everything it did, and truth was thrown to the ground.
13 Then I heard a holy one speaking, and another holy one said to him, "How long will it take for the vision to be fulfilled—the vision concerning the daily sacrifice, the rebellion that causes desolation, and the surrender of the sanctuary and of the host that will be trampled underfoot?" 14 He said to me, "It will take 2,300 evenings and mornings; then the sanctuary will be reconsecrated."
15 While I, Daniel, was watching the vision and trying to understand it, there before me stood one who looked like a man. 16 And I heard a man's voice from the Ulai calling, "Gabriel, tell this man the meaning of the vision." 17 As he came near the place where I was standing, I was terrified and fell prostrate. "Son of man," he said to me, "understand that the vision concerns the time of the end."
18 While he was speaking to me, I was in a deep sleep, with my face to the ground. Then he touched me and raised me to my feet.
19 He said: "I am going to tell you what will happen later in the time of wrath, because the vision concerns the appointed time of the end. [b] 20 The two-horned ram that you saw represents the kings of Media and Persia. 21 The shaggy goat is the king of Greece, and the large horn between his eyes is the first king. 22 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.
23 "In the latter part of their reign, when rebels have become completely wicked, a stern-faced king, a master of intrigue, will arise. 24 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 the mighty men and the holy people. 25 He will cause deceit to prosper, and he will consider himself superior. When they feel secure, he will destroy many and take his stand against the Prince of princes. Yet he will be destroyed, but not by human power.
26 "The vision of the evenings and mornings that has been given you is true, but seal up the vision, for it concerns the distant future." 27 I, Daniel, was exhausted and lay ill for several days. Then I got up and went about the king's business. I was appalled by the vision; it was beyond understanding
Here are my observations in addition to the ones you may have:
1. The Ram and the Goat correspond to the beasts described in chapter 7- the “Bear” and the “Leopard”. They also correspond to the “chest and arms of silver” and the “belly and thighs of bronze” of chapter 2 vision.
2. The Ram and the Goat are specifically identified as Medo-Persia kingdom vs. 8:20 and the Greece kingdom vs. 8:21. The Medo-Persia kingdom according to history lasted from 539 B.C- 329 B.C. The Greece kingdom lasted from 330 B.C- to about 63.BC.
3. The two kingdoms are compared by the various images/symbols in the vision. Note that in apocalyptic language, every symbol is not to be taken literally but most often they add emphasis to what is intended. The goat conquered the ram and in reality, Alexander the great conquered the Medo-Persian empire vs.5-8.
4. Note the break off of the “prominent horn” of the goat and the growth of four other horns in its place vs.8. History tells us that Alexandria the great died at the height of his power and was succeeded by four kings and rulers who oversaw various regions of the Greece Empire.
5. Of particular interest is the horn of the goat that started of small but grew large vs. 9. He is identified in history as Antiochus IV 168-164 B.C.). He was said to have been ruthless and mean. He was the one who oppressed the holy land Jerusalem and the Jewish faith. He will crush and cause the daily sacrifice to cease because he desecrated the temple in Jerusalem vs.12. Antiochus opposed God (vs.11) and suffered his doom. “He will be destroyed, but not by human power” vs.25.
6. We understand that one rose to resist Antiochus in the person of Maccabeus. “The army of Judas Maccabeus recaptured Jerusalem and rededicated the temple (v.14) to the Lord (December, 165) – the origin of the Feast of Hanukkah still celebrated by Jews today”.
What can we glean from all these? The vision of Daniel happened the way God revealed it. The Jewish celebration of Hanukkah is a confirmation and reminder that God’s word is so true. Eventually Christ has become the real substitute for the daily sacrifice. Thank God. Can you imagine us dragging our sheep and pigeons to church to sacrifice and atone for our sins?
The influence of these kingdoms (Medo-Persia and Greece) still remain and all that are contrary to the truth of God will be judged and avenged as we saw in chapter 7. There is great hope for all God’s people. Though weeping may endure for the night, joy comes in the morning. Our God will always triumph. Let’s depend and trust Him for all things. God is at work in you and me.
"Now may the God of peace who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of sheep, make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen". (Hebrews 13:20-21)
Some of us may remember our Elementary and High school history lessons of ancient times. I remember studying about Alexander the Great. A great soldier who conquered any one that came against him. He was very impressive. Little did I know that Alexander the Great was prophesied in the Bible to reign. And he did reign and his reign ended abruptly as prophesied in the book of Daniel.
In our lesson for today, we continue with the visions and revelation given to Daniel by God. Chapter 8 of Daniel is a continuation and an enlargement of two segments of the visions in chapters 2 and 7. Today we study about the Ram and the Goat and learn more about the Medo-Persian kingdom and the Greece kingdom.
Our God who created all things knows all things. God knew exactly when these kingdoms would reign and how they will shape the world through their influence. The Greek philosophy is still influencing the whole world today. Some of it good and some are not so good and/or outright contrary to the truth of the Word of God. The Greeks introduced to the world the idea that anything that is not arrived by reasoning and logic is false. It sounds good but we know that this is contrary to the word of God (See Daniel 8:25 “He will cause deceit to prosper”). We walk by faith and not by sight (or reasoning). The only truth is what God says in His Word. Let’s see what Daniel saw in his vision.
Daniel 8:
1 In the third year of King Belshazzar's reign, I, Daniel, had a vision, after the one that had already appeared to me. 2 In my vision I saw myself in the citadel of Susa in the province of Elam; in the vision I was beside the Ulai Canal. 3 I looked up, and there before me was a ram with two horns, standing beside the canal, and the horns were long. One of the horns was longer than the other but grew up later. 4 I watched the ram as he charged toward the west and the north and the south. No animal could stand against him, and none could rescue from his power. He did as he pleased and became great.
5 As I was thinking about this, suddenly a goat with a prominent horn between his eyes came from the west, crossing the whole earth without touching the ground. 6 He came toward the two-horned ram I had seen standing beside the canal and charged at him in great rage. 7 I saw him attack the ram furiously, striking the ram and shattering his two horns. The ram was powerless to stand against him; the goat knocked him to the ground and trampled on him, and none could rescue the ram from his power. 8 The goat became very great, but at the height of his power his large horn was broken off, and in its place four prominent horns grew up toward the four winds of heaven.
9 Out of one of them came another horn, which started small but grew in power to the south and to the east and toward the Beautiful Land. 10 It grew until it reached the host of the heavens, and it threw some of the starry host down to the earth and trampled on them. 11 It set itself up to be as great as the Prince of the host; it took away the daily sacrifice from him, and the place of his sanctuary was brought low. 12 Because of rebellion, the host of the saints [a] and the daily sacrifice were given over to it. It prospered in everything it did, and truth was thrown to the ground.
13 Then I heard a holy one speaking, and another holy one said to him, "How long will it take for the vision to be fulfilled—the vision concerning the daily sacrifice, the rebellion that causes desolation, and the surrender of the sanctuary and of the host that will be trampled underfoot?" 14 He said to me, "It will take 2,300 evenings and mornings; then the sanctuary will be reconsecrated."
15 While I, Daniel, was watching the vision and trying to understand it, there before me stood one who looked like a man. 16 And I heard a man's voice from the Ulai calling, "Gabriel, tell this man the meaning of the vision." 17 As he came near the place where I was standing, I was terrified and fell prostrate. "Son of man," he said to me, "understand that the vision concerns the time of the end."
18 While he was speaking to me, I was in a deep sleep, with my face to the ground. Then he touched me and raised me to my feet.
19 He said: "I am going to tell you what will happen later in the time of wrath, because the vision concerns the appointed time of the end. [b] 20 The two-horned ram that you saw represents the kings of Media and Persia. 21 The shaggy goat is the king of Greece, and the large horn between his eyes is the first king. 22 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.
23 "In the latter part of their reign, when rebels have become completely wicked, a stern-faced king, a master of intrigue, will arise. 24 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 the mighty men and the holy people. 25 He will cause deceit to prosper, and he will consider himself superior. When they feel secure, he will destroy many and take his stand against the Prince of princes. Yet he will be destroyed, but not by human power.
26 "The vision of the evenings and mornings that has been given you is true, but seal up the vision, for it concerns the distant future." 27 I, Daniel, was exhausted and lay ill for several days. Then I got up and went about the king's business. I was appalled by the vision; it was beyond understanding
Here are my observations in addition to the ones you may have:
1. The Ram and the Goat correspond to the beasts described in chapter 7- the “Bear” and the “Leopard”. They also correspond to the “chest and arms of silver” and the “belly and thighs of bronze” of chapter 2 vision.
2. The Ram and the Goat are specifically identified as Medo-Persia kingdom vs. 8:20 and the Greece kingdom vs. 8:21. The Medo-Persia kingdom according to history lasted from 539 B.C- 329 B.C. The Greece kingdom lasted from 330 B.C- to about 63.BC.
3. The two kingdoms are compared by the various images/symbols in the vision. Note that in apocalyptic language, every symbol is not to be taken literally but most often they add emphasis to what is intended. The goat conquered the ram and in reality, Alexander the great conquered the Medo-Persian empire vs.5-8.
4. Note the break off of the “prominent horn” of the goat and the growth of four other horns in its place vs.8. History tells us that Alexandria the great died at the height of his power and was succeeded by four kings and rulers who oversaw various regions of the Greece Empire.
5. Of particular interest is the horn of the goat that started of small but grew large vs. 9. He is identified in history as Antiochus IV 168-164 B.C.). He was said to have been ruthless and mean. He was the one who oppressed the holy land Jerusalem and the Jewish faith. He will crush and cause the daily sacrifice to cease because he desecrated the temple in Jerusalem vs.12. Antiochus opposed God (vs.11) and suffered his doom. “He will be destroyed, but not by human power” vs.25.
6. We understand that one rose to resist Antiochus in the person of Maccabeus. “The army of Judas Maccabeus recaptured Jerusalem and rededicated the temple (v.14) to the Lord (December, 165) – the origin of the Feast of Hanukkah still celebrated by Jews today”.
What can we glean from all these? The vision of Daniel happened the way God revealed it. The Jewish celebration of Hanukkah is a confirmation and reminder that God’s word is so true. Eventually Christ has become the real substitute for the daily sacrifice. Thank God. Can you imagine us dragging our sheep and pigeons to church to sacrifice and atone for our sins?
The influence of these kingdoms (Medo-Persia and Greece) still remain and all that are contrary to the truth of God will be judged and avenged as we saw in chapter 7. There is great hope for all God’s people. Though weeping may endure for the night, joy comes in the morning. Our God will always triumph. Let’s depend and trust Him for all things. God is at work in you and me.
"Now may the God of peace who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of sheep, make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen". (Hebrews 13:20-21)
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