15 When I, Daniel, had seen the vision, I sought to understand it. And behold, there stood before me one having the appearance of a man. 16 And I heard a man's voice between the banks of the Ulai, and it called, “Gabriel, make this man understand the vision.” 17 So he came near where I stood. And when he came, I was frightened and fell on my face. But he said to me, “Understand, O son of man, that the vision is for the time of the end.”
18 And when he had spoken to me, I fell into a deep sleep with my face to the ground. But he touched me and made me stand up. 19 He said, “Behold, I will make known to you what shall be at the latter end of the indignation, for it refers to the appointed time of the end. 20 As for the ram that you saw with the two horns, these are the kings of Media and Persia. 21 And the goat is the king of Greece. And the great horn between his eyes is the first king. 22 As for the horn that was broken, in place of which four others arose, four kingdoms shall arise from his nation, but not with his power. 23 And at the latter end of their kingdom, when the transgressors have reached their limit, a king of bold face, one who understands riddles, shall arise. 24 His power shall be great—but not by his own power; and he shall cause fearful destruction and shall succeed in what he does, and destroy mighty men and the people who are the saints. 25 By his cunning he shall make deceit prosper under his hand, and in his own mind he shall become great. Without warning he shall destroy many. And he shall even rise up against the Prince of princes, and he shall be broken—but by no human hand. 26 The vision of the evenings and the mornings that has been told is true, but seal up the vision, for it refers to many days from now.”
27 And I, Daniel, was overcome and lay sick for some days. Then I rose and went about the king's business, but I was appalled by the vision and did not understand it. - Daniel 8: 15-27
Daniel 8: 15-27 Gabriel Speaks to Daniel
14And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. 15So when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination of desolation,’ described by the prophet Daniel (let the reader understand), 16then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.… Matthew 24: 14-16
I sought to understand it - This is history that has not yet unfolded with characters not yet born. Isaiah, who came before Daniel, saw even further than this, and from a perspective, standing in the Millennial kingdom, he looked back upon those who mourned Christ at the end of the Great Tribulation, the time of Jacob's Trouble. Remember, all these things are written for our instruction, our edification, and comfort, that God is so much in control that he can tell the end, write it, seal it. Keep this in mind also, just like the prophecies of Isaiah were far reaching and fulfilled literally, we will find that same pattern in Daniel. The final antichrist will look much like Antiochus, and this will be a pattern throughout history. In Matthew 24, above, Jesus takes us back to Daniel to show that this will happen again, that many antichrists will come, but the end is still not yet. Like Daniel, we need to admit when we don't understand and remember that God has sent us a comforter, His Holy Spirit to indwell our bodies as His temple, and to guide us in all truth.
…3For even Christ did not please Himself, but as it is written: “The insults of those who insult You have fallen on Me.” 4For everything that was written in the past was written for our instruction, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures, we might have hope. 5Now may the God who gives endurance and encouragement grant you harmony with one another in Christ Jesus,… Romans 15: 3-5
…17He will turn toward the prayer of the destitute; He will not despise their prayer. 18Let this be written for the generation to come, so that a people not yet created may praise the LORD. 19For He looked down from the heights of His sanctuary; the LORD gazed out from heaven to earth… Psalm 102: 17-19
…12I still have much to tell you, but you cannot yet bear to hear it. 13However, when the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all truth. For He will not speak on His own, but He will speak what He hears, and He will declare to you what is to come. 14He will glorify Me by taking from what is Mine and disclosing it to you.… John 16: 12-14
He was trying to understand the vision we discussed in the last two posts which starts with a Persian king, followed by a Greek king, and then finally a type of antichrist at the end of the Grecian empire, which came out of one of the four horns to which the kingdom had been divided. Most liberal scholars will not accept the time for which Daniel claims to be written from, because the history that he describes is too exacting on the mind, it is far too accurate. Even where they have disagreed with Daniel's foretelling of history, much like the arguments against Isaiah, quite problematically for their still printed rebuttals, archeology has eventually caught up with discoveries that back Daniel's claims. How much will men regard the truth when it is not in their favor though? Just look at any of the other sciences, start asking questions and then you tell me. We discussed most of the interpretation of this in these two posts:
Having the appearance of a man -
One who looked like a man - The angel Gabriel (Da 8:16), the first angel named in Scripture and one of only two named (good) angels (Satan a fallen angel is of course named), the other being the archangel Michael (cp Da 10:13, 21) - Precept Austin
And I heard a man's voice - God speaks to his angel, the one having the appearance of a man. He speaks in a man's voice that Daniel can understand.
…6“Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.” 7 The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless. They heard the voice but did not see anyone. 8Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could not see a thing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus.… Acts 9: 6-8
And God spoke all these words, saying,
2 “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.
3 “You shall have no other gods before me.
...18 Now when all the people saw the thunder and the flashes of lightning and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking, the people were afraid and trembled, and they stood far off 19 and said to Moses, “You speak to us, and we will listen; but do not let God speak to us, lest we die.” 20 Moses said to the people, “Do not fear, for God has come to test you, that the fear of him may be before you, that you may not sin.” 21 The people stood far off, while Moses drew near to the thick darkness where God was. Exodus 20: 1-3; 18-21
Gabriel - Some have called Gabriel, God's PR messenger, he comes with great tidings. His name means "mighty one of God, hero of God, warrior of God".
…18“How can I be sure of this?” Zechariah asked the angel. “I am an old man, and my wife is well along in years.” 19“I am Gabriel,” replied the angel. “ I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. 20And now you will be silent and unable to speak until the day this comes to pass, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled at their proper time.”… Luke 1: 18-20
26 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin's name was Mary. 28 And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” 29 But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. 30 And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” Luke 1: 26-33
I was frightened and fell on my face - He doesn't seem to grow accustomed or complacent about these encounters. He is well read though, so I wonder what went through his mind when he read of the previous encounters of other prophets. God's holiness and glory are overwhelming, yet men carry on as though it won't be an issue for them. Even angels, who have been in the presence of God, are often a terrifying sight. Daniel's NT counterpart, John the beloved, had a similar experience.
…2I will establish My covenant between Me and you, and I will multiply you exceedingly.” 3Then Abram fell facedown, and God said to him, 4“As for Me, this is My covenant with you: You will be the father of many nations.… Genesis 17: 2-4
28 As the appearance of the rainbow 1in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the appearance of the surrounding radiance. Such was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. And when I saw it, I fell on my face and heard a voice speaking. Ezekiel 1: 28
…8And I am John, who heard and saw these things. And when I had heard and seen them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who had shown me these things. 9But he said to me, “Do not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers the prophets, and with those who keep the words of this book. Worship God!” 10Then he told me, “Do not seal up the words of prophecy in this book, because the time is near.… Revelation 22: 8-10
The vision is for the time of the end - I believe this links together the time of the end of the Grecian empire where Antiochus will be a type of the final antichrists, look at the wording in verse 19 as well, "latter end of the indignation" and "appointed time of the end". Then Jesus words at the top of this in the Olivet discourse of Matthew 24, "when you see", and this is something coming that is very much like time of Antiochus, yet different eras, and again, Antiochus comes from the four horns of Greece, the final Antichrist rises out of the 10 horns, the revived kingdom that will come up close to the end of the time of the gentiles. Antiochus has 2300 days and the final antichrist has only about 1280 days of terror and desolation of the temple.
On the other hand, the time phrases (see following explanation) in Daniel 8:17 (pertains to the time of the end) and Daniel 8:19 (the final period of the indignation… the appointed time of the end) strongly suggest that God's intention is to use the character and actions of Antiochus Epiphanes to presage (provide a forewarning of) the coming world dictator, the Antichrist. Whether one choose to refer to this as a double fulfillment (near future = Antiochus, far future = Antichrist) or classifies Antiochus as a historical type of the future Antichrist is a moot point (View #3 and View #4), in my opinion. In either case the historical person Antiochus Epiphanes is "descriptively" predictive of the future Antichrist. This is the view which this writer espouses. - Precept Austin
This phrase "the end of time" (again the same 2 Hebrew nouns as Da 8:17) is used in Daniel 12
But as for you, Daniel, conceal these words and seal up the book until the end of time ("time of the end" = NET, ESV, NIV); many will go back and forth, and knowledge will increase. (Da 12:3)
These parallel phrases support the view that the present passages that were fulfilled in the person of the Rather Small Horn, Antiochus IV Epiphanes, were actually a foreshadowing of the future Antichrist (some commentators use the phrase that Antiochus is "typical" of the Antichrist and others such as Donald Campbell state that the description in Daniel 8 has a "double fulfillment", historically in the events of 175-164BC and in the future in the reign of terror of the Antichrist). In fact, study of the following passages suggest many points of similarity between these two enemies of God and Israel. - Precept Austin
But not with his power - The four kings that split Alexander the Greats kingdom were not of his royal line, and they did not have the same amount of power, in fact, we will see that they fought amongst each other for dominance in the next chapter.
The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge comments that "After Alexander's death, in the prime of life and in the height of his conquests, his brother and two sons were all murdered; and the kingdom was divided among four of his generals. 1. Seleucus, who had Syria and Babylon; 2. Lysimachus, who had Asia Minor; 3. Ptolemy, who had Egypt; and, 4. Cassander, who had Greece, etc." - Precept Austin
When the transgressors have reached their limit - The apostates, and all these kings have been used to cleanse God's people.
1Now the Spirit expressly states that in later times some will abandon the faith to follow deceitful spirits and the teachings of demons, 2influenced by the hypocrisy of liars, whose consciences are seared with a hot iron.… 1 Timothy 4: 1-2
…31So you testify against yourselves that you are the sons of those who murdered the prophets. 32Fill up, then, the measure of the sin of your fathers. 33You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape the sentence of hell?… Matthew 23: 31-33
…14For you, brothers, became imitators of the churches of God in Judea that are in Christ Jesus. You suffered from your own countrymen the very things they suffered from the Jews, 15who killed both the Lord Jesus and their own prophets, and drove us out as well. They are displeasing to God and hostile to all men, 16hindering us from telling the Gentiles how they may be saved. As a result, they continue to heap up their sins to full capacity; the utmost wrath has come upon them.… 1 Thessalonians 2: 14-16
A king of bold face...who understands riddles - Smart, clever, determined, wearing his arrogance upon his face, much like the final antichrist. People love confidence.
The Septuagint (LXX) translates the Hebrew with a Greek adjective (anaides - often used with a description of one's countenance - see LXX of Dt 28:50 for "fierce" countenance, Pr 7:13 for "brazen" face, Pr 25:23 "angry" countenance, Eccl 8:1 "stern" face) meaning shameless, bold, ruthless, reckless. Clearly Antiochus fit such a description, for a man's face often conveys what is in a man's heart.
Skilled in intrigue (literally = "understanding hidden things", "understanding riddles") (NET - He will be "crafty", a veritable "master of intrigue" (NIV) who "understands riddles" (ESV) and difficult problems. The Hebrew word for intrigue (hiydah - 02420) is used to describe King Solomon's ability to handle "difficult questions" (hiydah) a reputation about which even the Queen of Sheba had heard (1Ki 10:1).
But not by his own power - He receives power through craftiness from those around him, like the final form receives it from the 10 other kings, yet he is also tied to the occult, his power from Satan.
And I saw a beast rising out of the sea, with ten horns and seven heads, with ten diadems on its horns and blasphemous names on its heads. 2 And the beast that I saw was like a leopard; its feet were like a bear's, and its mouth was like a lion's mouth. And to it the dragon gave his power and his throne and great authority. 3 One of its heads seemed to have a mortal wound, but its mortal wound was healed, and the whole earth marveled as they followed the beast. 4 And they worshiped the dragon, for he had given his authority to the beast, and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast, and who can fight against it?”
5 And the beast was given a mouth uttering haughty and blasphemous words, and it was allowed to exercise authority for forty-two months. 6 It opened its mouth to utter blasphemies against God, blaspheming his name and his dwelling,[a] that is, those who dwell in heaven. 7 Also it was allowed to make war on the saints and to conquer them.[b] And authority was given it over every tribe and people and language and nation, 8 and all who dwell on earth will worship it, everyone whose name has not been written before the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slain. 9 If anyone has an ear, let him hear: - Revelation 13: 1-9
In his own mind he shall become great - What ever things he does accomplish, most of it will be by deceit, and none of it will be equal to how he sees himself, this is a strong delusion. He is an egotist and a narcissist.
MacArthur - Many believe that the description here transcends that of Antiochus alone, and uses him as a type of the Antichrist who will oppose Christ during the Great Tribulation. Certainly the devious work of Antiochus and of the Antichrist is of the same heinous character.
Shrewdness (07922)(sekel from sakal = to be prudent) can convey the ideas of prudence, good sense, insight, understanding but clearly here speaks of these traits in a bad sense which could be summed up as cunning, treachery (only such negative use). Sekel speaks of intelligence that is more than just mere book knowledge or learning about a particular subject. It has a greater significance and means insight or understanding. - Precept Austin
By no human hand - Antiochus did not die by the hand of a man, and the final antichrist will be killed by God very quickly. Some say Antiochus died of insanity and disease of the bowels. That little candle burned out.
Broken without human agency - Was Antiochus "broken without human agency?" The phrase means that he would not be killed by another human, but (by implication) ultimately terminated by God the Righteous Judge (cp what happened to King Herod - Acts 12:21-23 = "immediately an angel of the Lord struck him because he did not give God the glory, and he was eaten by worms and died."). Similarly the Antichrist will be defeated and destroyed by God, specifically at the return of the King of kings (see Rev 19:11-16, Rev 19:20) - Precept Austin
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