Daniel 8

Daniel 8 Commentary

by Brad Boyles

This chapter is one of the most controversial and heavily debated chapters in all the Bible. However, there is still solid truth we can take away.

First, we must realize that even the interpreter could not come to terms with the interpretation. Daniel himself said it perplexed him and he kept it to himself. He was physically ill and exhausted for many days. This should cause us to pause. We would do well to saturate our minds in the text and come to the Lord diligently in prayer to receive wisdom and discernment on how to apply these verses. Many times, I have read the same verses over and over only to learn more and more each time I study them.

The Ram

The ram represents the Medo-Persian Empire. The unequal horns could have represented the fact that the Persians were larger and stronger in the union. They emerged after the Medes and grew up larger. They also made no major conquests to the east. (I watched the ram butting with his horns to the west, the north, and the south.)

The Male Goat

The goat represents the Greek Empire.

“Newton very properly observes that, two hundred years before the time of Daniel, they were called, the goats’ people.”

Adam Clarke

“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.”

David Guzik

The Little Horn

This little horn does not seem to be the same one from the previous chapter. The former little horn came out of the beast (Rome) while this one comes out of Greece.

“Some think that Antiochus Epiphanes is meant; but Bp. Newton contends that it is the Roman government that is intended; and although very great at its zenith, yet very little in its rising.”

Adam Clarke

2300 Evenings and Mornings

If we count back 2300 days (almost 7 years) from when the temple was cleansed, we end up at the date when Epiphanes started his persecution. If we assume 1 day means a morning and a night, we get 1150 days which is when the temple was actually desecrated. Either way, we can’t know for certain and this passage illustrates the danger of not using discernment to interpret passages.

“This passage has been a favorite springboard for elaborate and fanciful prophetic interpretations. A popular and tragic interpretation of this passage took one year for every day, and William Miller used 2,300 “year-days” to calculate that Jesus would return in 1844 (2,300 years after Cyrus issued the decree to rebuild the temple). His movement ended up giving birth to the Seventh-Day Adventists, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and several other movements.”

David Guzik

The Interpretation

Most commentators agree that the near view of this prophecy is speaking to Antiochus Epiphanes who was mentioned earlier. The long view of the prophecy would represent the Antichrist. There are striking similarities.

• They both would have brutal features.
• They both would understand sinister schemes.
• They both would channel power not of their own.
• They both would experience immense success.
• They both would annihilate the people of God.
• They both would be deceitful and magnify themselves.
• They both would not be defeated by a man, but by an act of God.

In sealing up the vision, Daniel is preparing it for the future. Note the wording used is similar to the seals in Revelation.

What does this mean for us?

We have a picture of what deceit and rebellion look like. We know which signs to watch for. We know the indicators of such deception and how the enemy works through humans to accomplish his sinister plan. These are the takeaways. We may never know exactly what the prophecy means, but the general themes are clear. The warnings God prepared were not meant to be confusing but were given in grace so that we could be ready.

What many people miss is that we already have the battle plan. We are to trust that all authority has been handed over the Jesus and believe He is with us until the end as we go and make disciples of all nations. Unfortunately, many have chosen to spin their wheels trying to uncover the exact meaning of prophecies instead of loving God and discipling people. Jesus gave us the battle plan. It’s time that we executed it.