Adult Education Winter 2012 - The Book of Daniel

Class 8: “God is In Control” A stern-faced king, a master of intrigue, 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 the mighty men and the holy people. 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. Daniel 8:23-25

God is in Control: God is sovereign and has set a limit on how long the present evil world will oppress His people

CHAPTER SEVEN

I. STRUCTURE OF DANIEL 8: A. Vision of the Ram and the Goat (vv. 1-14): A ram, a goat and more horns (!) B. Interpretation of the Vision (vv. 15-27): The succession of the Medo-Persian and Greek Empires and the evil actions of Antiochus IV Epiphanes, who oppresses the people of God but is defeated. Old Testament Israel Classical World 2nd Mil. Abraham, Moses, the Exodus B.C. 1250 B.C. Trojan War 1000 B.C. David and Solomon, divided kingdom 750 B.C. Homer writes Iliad and Odyssey 722 B.C. Israel (North) deported by Assyria 678 B.C. Deioces unites Median Empire 605 B.C. Beginning of Judah’s exile by Babylon (Daniel 1:1 “the third year of the reign of Johoiakim.”) 586 B.C. Judah (South) deported by Babylon 550 B.C. First year of the reign of Darius (Daniel 7:1 “the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon) 539 B.C. Cyrus the Great of Persia conquers Babylon (Daniel 5) 538 B.C. Cyrus permits Jews to return to Holy Land 537 B.C. Third year of King Belshazzar’s reign (Daniel 8:1) 461-446 First Peloponnesian War B.C. 431 B.C. Second Peloponnesian War 399 B.C. Socrates executed by Athens 334-331 Alexander the Great conquers Persian Empire 323 B.C. Alexander the Great dies 275 B.C. Hellenistic Era Begins 167 B.C. Antiochus IV Epiphanes sacks Jerusalem 166 B.C. Maccabean revolt 63 B.C. Pompey captures Jerusalem 44 B.C. Julius Caesar assassinated 31 B.C. Octavian (Augustus Caesar) establishes the principate (and the Empire)

2 II. HISTORY LESSON: Daniel 8 covers a broad sweep of political history from the sixth to the second century B.C.: A. The Median Empire (c. 678 B.C. – 550 B.C): Founded by Deioces, who united Median tribes in 678 B.C. The final Median king, Astyages, was overthrown by his grandson, Cyrus II of Persia (Cyrus the Great) in 550 B.C. (See Herodotus, The Histories).

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B. The Persian (Achæmenid) Empire (550-330 B.C.): Founded by Cyrus the Great, who overthrew his grandfather, Astyages in 550 B.C. The final Persian King, Darius III (Darius the Great) was overthrown by Alexander III of Macedon (Alexander the Great) in a series of battles from 334-330 B.C. (See Plutarch, Life of Alexander).

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3 C. The Alexandrian Empire: Alexander defeated Persia in 330 B.C., but died just seven years later in 323 B.C. at the age of 32 (See Plutarch, Life of Alexander).

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D. The Diadochi (322-275 B.C.) and the Hellenistic Era (275-30 B.C.): The Diadochi (from the Greek “Διάδοχοι” or “Diadokhoi,” which means “Successors”) were a group of rival generals and relatives of Alexander who initiated almost 50 years of war for control of his empire after his death. In 275, the Alexandrian Empire was partitioned into four kingdoms, each of which was subsequently conquered by Rome in the first and second centuries, B.C., with Ptolemaic Egypt being the last to fall in 30 B.C after the Battle of Actium in which Octavian (Augustus Caesar) defeated Mark Antony and Cleopatra VII of Egypt.

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The four kingdoms of the Hellenestic era were:

4 1. Cassander: Macedonia 2. Lysimachus: Thrace and Asia Minor 3. Ptolemy: Egypt 4. Seleucus: Syria and eastern territories E. Antiochus IV Epiphanes (215-154 B.C): A Seleucid king who spearheaded one of the worst oppressions of the Jews in their history in the 170s and 160s B.C. In addition to warring with the Ptolemaic kingdom, Antiochus sought to change times and laws, defiled the Hebrew temple by installing Zeus as god. He was defeated in the Maccabean revolt. The Feast of Hanukkah celebrates that victory. III.VISION OF THE RAM AND THE GOAT (vv. 1-14) A. Ch. 8’s Vision Expands and Clarifies Ch. 7’s Dream: Note that Chapter 7 presented us with a dream; here we see a vision. If Ch. 7 was like an impressionist painting, broad and undefined, Ch. 8 is like a political cartoon—here we know who the characters are. B. Time and Place: 537 B.C. Daniel sees a vision in Susa at the Ulai canal. Susa will later become a key location in the Persian empire. C. Animals: Unlike Ch. 7, these are not chimaræ but are normal animals. D. The “Little Horn”: As with Ch. 7, we have a “little horn” that engages in all manner of evil. 1. Challenges God (v. 10): It “grows great, even to the host of heaven.” It throws the stars to the ground and tramples on them. This is an attack not just against God’s people, but against God himself. 2. Removes the Offering, Overthrows the Sanctuary (v. 11): In 167 B.C., Antiochus stopped the worship of Yahweh in the temple, and offered a sacrifice of a pig on the Temple altar. 3. Throws Truth to the Ground (v. 12): Antiochus also burned copies of the Torah, the Jewish Law. E. “How long?” (v. 13) will this go on: The question of “how long” is a recurrent one in the Old Testament, particularly the Psalms. See, e.g.,

Psalm 6:3 (My soul also is greatly troubled. But you, O LORD, how long?),

Psalm 13:1-2 (“How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I take counsel in my soul and have sorrow in my heart all the day? How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?)

Psalm 35:17 (“How long, O LORD, will you look on? Rescue me from their destruction, my precious life from the lions!”). It is usually a plea for God to end suffering. This is a plea for deliverance from evil and oppression. F. “For 2300 evenings and mornings” (v. 14): The time of oppression is limited. (Note: this is the one area of significant dispute in Ch. 8 – does this refer to 2300 days or 1150 days; are the days symbolic or literal . . . different commentators take different positions.).

5 IV. INTERPRETATION OF THE VISION (vv. 15-27): A. God sends Gabriel to Explain the Vision (vv. 15-17) B. The Ram is Medo-Persia (v. 20) C. The Goat is Greece (vv. 21-22): The long horn is Alexander the Great; the four smaller horns represent the four kingdoms of the Hellenistic era. D. The Little Horn is Antiochus IV Epiphanes (vv. 23-25): 1. He was a political manipulator, a “king of bold face” (v. 23). Antiochus was a younger son who maneuvered his way to power through trickery. 2. He rose up against God through his Hellenistic desecration of the Temple (v. 25): “He shall rise up against the Prince of princes.” E. Is this a Double Prophecy?: Does this also refer to the Anti-Christ? Luther held that “This chapter in Daniel refers to both Antiochus and Antichrist” (See Revelation 13 for discussion of “the beast” with ten horns. V. DANIEL 7 IN LIGHT OF THE NEW TESTAMENT AND THE MINISTRY OF JESUS A. God Has Won the Victory in Christ: Just as God defeated Antiochus, the oppressor of his people in 167-164 B.C., He won an even greater victory at the cross, where Jesus conquered sin and death. The overthrow of Antiochus anticipates the overthrow of Antichrist and Christ’s return when “at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord.” (Phil. 2:9-11). B. God’s People Can Endure Difficulty Because of Our Hope in His Promises: We are promised God’s eventual victory, yet we are called to remain humble and faithful in suffering during the “last days.” See I. Pet. 5: 10-11 (“And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Chris, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen.) VI. SOME CONCLUDING THOUGHTS: What can we take from Daniel 8? A. Remember that God is Sovereign: This means adopting a stance of radical acceptance of your current circumstance, whether it is health challenge, career setbacks, or relationship problems. B. Hope is the key, and yet our typical responses are (1) Denial; (2) Escapism (3) Bitterness and Anger. All of these are rooted in entitlement: “I deserve better than this” and they express an unbelief in God’s final sovereignty and His goodness. Accept the circumstances of your life in faith, and persist in hope. They may be hard, but God has called you to go through them. C. Remember that God is at Work for His Glory: Your life is not all about you. God is building a kingdom, and is working in your life to use it for His glory. This means that your life will not always go the way that you want it to. God is working to change you into what He wants you to be for Him.

6 D. Hope in God’s Victory: Past Present and Future. We are reminded of God’s past, present and future action when we affirm that “Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again.” God has defeated His enemies, and he offers comfort to His people when they suffer their present difficulties. See Psalm 103:6 (“the LORD works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed.”) In difficult times, hope in the victory that God has already won in Christ! When it seems like God is killing you, he is saving you. —Tim Keller, Counterfeit Gods

U2 – “40” (From Psalm 40) I waited patiently for the Lord He inclined and heard my cry He lifts me up out of the pit Out of the mire and clay

I will sing, sing a new song I will sing, sing a new song

How long to sing this song? How long to sing this song? How long...how long...how long... How long...to sing this song

He set my feet upon a rock And made my footsteps firm Many will see Many will see and hear

I will sing, sing a new song I will sing, sing a new song

How long to sing this song? How long to sing this song? How long...how long...how long... How long...to sing this song

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