The Vision of the Goat and the Ram

1608-14P 1 THE VISION OF THE GOAT AND THE RAM I. THE END OF BABYLON. (Daniel 8:1-27) SUBJECT: When Daniel sees his vision in chapter 8, the F.C.F: PROPOSITION: world is into the third year of the reign of Belshazzar, INTRODUCTION: so the date is 548 B.C. Belshazzar’s kingdom would A. This is the “Bible” Hour which we devote fall in 539 B.C. when Darius the Mede (who may in large part to the study of the Bible, God’s Word. also be Cyrus) would conquer Babylon and Sometimes it’s helpful for us to consider the Belshazzar would be put to death. What Daniel sees background to the Bible so that we can understand it in his vision, though, is a time when Babylon had in its fullness. We may forget that the first readers long been defeated and was no longer even worth were living in an historical context which they were mentioning. This may explain why on that fateful familiar with and which they more clearly night when the hand of God inscribed Belshazzar’s understood. We are far removed from their doom into the plaster wall of his palace, Daniel was circumstances. So, while we may easily understand so confident and forthright in condemning him. He the messages that are written to us because we know had known that this day was coming for over a the context, we may not grasp the message of many decade already. portions of the Bible because they were given, in the first place, to address times and people and situations II. THE RISE OF MEDO-PERSIA. we may not understand. B. That’s my apology for what I’m going to The empire that supplanted and replaced do this evening. In Daniel’s vision of chapter 8 is Babylon was the Medo-Persian empire, or Persian for dominated by two stubborn and sometimes vicious short. It ranged over two hundred years from roughly barnyard animals: a two-horned ram and a one- 550 to 330 B.C. Some few of the Old Testament horned, unicorn, billygoat. Of course, these animals books were written during this time which is called were images which stood for something else. None of the “post-exilic” or after the exile time. In 539 or 538 the people of Daniel’s day would have known the Darius or Cyrus issued his decree that all those Jews specific identity of the ram or the billygoat because who wished to could return to their homeland in they did not yet exist on the horizon. But those who order to rebuild the temple for their God. read Daniel 8 were soon to see these events unfold in So Daniel 6 takes place in the first year of their own lives. Darius’s overthrow of Babylon. And several other His vision does not end with these two rivals. Old Testament books take place during this time as The goat which prevails is divided into four well: Ezra, Nehemiah, and the post-exilic prophecies kingdoms, one of which produces an arrogant horn or of Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi. Esther was also king who brings great trouble to the saints, God’s written during the Persian era, though Esther and her people who have resettled to Jerusalem. Uncle Mordecai did not return from the exile. Esther C. So rather than dealing with the text at hand is dated during the reign of Ahasuerus or Xerxes I. by which God revealed what was going to happen, I want to instead focus on what did happen in history, III. THE SWIFT CONQUEST BY GREECE. to complete some of the gaps in our understanding. When we leave the Old Testament, we see the Jews Alexander the Great (356-323) is well-known struggling to rebuild Jerusalem, still under the to history. He was the son of King Philip II the domination of the Medo-Persian empire. When we Macedonian who had done much to consolidate the open the New Testament, we find a very different known world of his day through diplomacy and situation. We find a non-Jewish “king” ruling from conquest. But it was Alexander who carried his the throne of David. We find a High Priest who is father’s designs almost to the end of the world. more of a greedy politician than a shepherd and Alexander had a famous tutor, the philosopher pastor of the people of God. And we find a new Aristotle. He showed his abilities as a warrior early in ruling power occupying the Holy Land, with the life. He alone could tame a great, wild horse he Medo-Persian empire forgotten. named Bucephalis, and rode this horse in almost all of his battles. When his father Philip was ______1608-14P 2 assassinated, he became king in his place. He Empire. The other was named Ptolemy, and he took immediately had all of his rivals and enemies in his the southern region which is now modern Egypt. empire put to death. He then began a swift campaign Palestine, or the Promised Land fell under the of conquest that was completely unchecked until his dominion of the Ptolemy’s. After a long season of generals finally refused to invade India. While he was relative peace under their rule, Judea fell under the on campaign through Asia (modern Turkey) control of the Seleucid empire. Alexander solved the famous “gordian knot.” It was One of the most memorable rulers of the said that whoever could untie this knot would rule the Seleucids was named Antiochus IV. He ruled only world. Alexander slashed it to pieces. eleven years (175-164 B.C.) but what an impact! He In 334 B.C. he first engaged the Persian took upon himself the arrogant title “Epiphanes” Empire under Darius III and defeated him at the which means “god manifest.” His enemies called him Battle of the Granicus. He continued to engage “Epimanes” which means “madman.” Darius for several years, finally vanquishing him in His father, Antiochus III had been defeated by 330 B.C. After conquering most of the known world, the Romans and was required to pay a heavy tribute Alexander suddenly took ill during a banquet at the to them. Antiochus IV later took a bribe from a captured palace at Babylon. In a few days, he was Jewish leader for a political favor, meddling in their dead at the age of 33. It was the year 323 B.C. internal affairs. Antiochus IV then marched down Alexander also, perhaps unwittingly, spread through Palestine on his way to conquer Egypt and to Greek religion, philosophy, and language around the annex their territory to his own, but was checked by world. Greek became the unofficial trade language of Rome at the last minute. Those in Jerusalem saw this the whole region. And that explains why over 300 as a moment of opportunity and made a bid for years later, the New Testament was written not in independence from Antiochus. On the way home, he Hebrew or Aramaic, the ancient language of Babylon stopped at Jerusalem and punished them severely. He and the spoken language of Judea even up to the time broke down the city wall, looted the temple treasury, of Jesus, but the Greek language that Alexander had slaughtered tens of thousands of Jews. He also planted, a language that almost everyone could desecrated the temple, sacrificing a pig on the altar understand. and erecting a statue of Zeus. He forbade temple, Sabbath worship by the Jews and made them eat IV. THE DIVISION OF ALEXANDER’S unclean meat. This desecration lasted three years, EMPIRE. from December 167 to December 164 B.C., which became known as the “abomination of desolation.’ Alexander left no immediate heir to his This occurred not quite 400 years after the vision of throne, although a son would be born shortly after his Daniel in the third year of Belshazzar, 548 B.C. death. None of his generals was able to assume his In 164, the Jews rebelled against Antiochus place, and so after some wrangling, Alexander’s and his outrages, and successfully won their empire was divided into four kingdoms given to four independence, cleansing the temple and resorting of his generals. Two are of lesser importance. One worship. became ruler of Macedonia or the western half of modern day Greece. His name was Cassander, V. THE LOOMING THREAT OF ROME. actually the son of General Antipater. He also saw to it that Alexander’s mother, wife, and baby son were Far to the west, however, was the rising threat all put to death. A second, named Lysimachus ruled of Rome. Rome had been founded much earlier Thrace, which was the eastern half of modern day around 625 B.C. But she began to grow and gobble Greece. up the crumbling remnants of Alexander’s divided The two most important founded long- kingdom. Macedonia fell to Rome during the Third standing, powerful dynasties which are important for Punic Wars of 149-146 B.C. The last remnant of the biblical history. One took the north, called Asia, Seleucid Empire was annexed to Rome by Pompey in which comprised modern Turkey and down through 64 B.C. And control of Egypt passed to Rome in 30 Syria, to the north of the Promised Land. The name B.C. when the last ruler of the Ptolemaic line named of this general was Seleucus, founding the Seleucid (Cleopatra) poisoned herself. ______1608-14P 3 In Palestine, the family of rulers of those who had led the rebellion against Antiochus IV had become so corrupt and filled with internal strife that List of the Kings of Persia from 550 in 63 B.C. Jewish leaders asked the Roman General BC to 330 BC Pompey to step in and restore order. Pompey was happy to oblige, and never left. Persian Kings Period of Reign (Approx) Pompey went further. He entered the temple Cyrus II "the Great" 550-529 BC itself and even the holy of holies, shocking and offending the Jews. The Romans could not Cambyses II 529-522 BC understand their objection to the privileges exercised Darius I 522-486 BC by their captors. This began a seething undercurrent Xerxes I 486-465 BC of hatred and suspicion that lingered on and is evident in the Gospels at the time of the ministry of Artaxerxes I 465-425 BC Jesus. It would continue on into the early Christian Xerxes II 425-424 BC period where Rome would be considered a continual Darius II 423-404 BC threat to the church, the source of many blasphemies and persecutions. The book of Revelation would Artaxerxes II 404-359 BC name Rome as the re-incarnation of Babylon, the Artaxerxes III 359-338 BC present manifestation of the malignant world spirit that Daniel wrote about in Daniel 2 and 7. Arses 338-336 BC In 37 B.C. the Roman senate appointed an Darius III 336-330 BC Idumean, one of the descendants of Esau, a man who was not a Jew, as King of all Palestine. This man’s List of Babylonian Kings from 625 name was…Herod the Great. This was the same Herod who ruled at the birth of Christ. BC to 542 BC King of Babylon Period of Reign (Reread Daniel 8 with this new understanding) (Approx) Nabopolassar 625-605 BC  Nabu-kudurri-usur II 605-562 BC (Nebuchadnezzar) Amel-Marduk (Evil-merodach) 561-560 BC Nergal-shar-usur (Neriglissar) 559-556 BC Labashi-Marduk 556-556 BC Nabu-naid (Nabonidus) 555-539 BC Bel-sharra-usur (Belshazzar) 550-539 BC

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