Shining in Babylon | Daniel 8

Our “Shining in Babylon” series continues this week with Daniel 8. Here is a quick summary of the chapter and a few takeaways to consider.

*This blog post is a summary from Pastor Bobby’s sermon on 7/24/2022. You can find the sermon video below.

Daniel 8

In chapter 8, Daniel sees another vision of the future. First, he sees a powerful ram with two horns that charges west, north, and south. Next, he sees a powerful goat with a “conspicuous horn” that comes from the west and defeats the ram. The goat becomes extremely powerful, but then his horn is broken and replaced by four new horns. Out of one of the four horns comes a little horn which “grows great, even to the host of heaven.” He continues to grow in greatness for approximately 3.5 years until he is defeated.

Again in this chapter, Daniel is given an interpretation of his vision. An angel explains to him that the ram with the two horns represents the Medo-Persia empire. The goat is the king of Greece, who is understood by most scholars to represent Alexander the Great. The little horn, then, is Antiochus who conquered Egypt, into Mesopotamia, and then turned on Israel.

This chapter is an example of dual prophecy in the Bible. Dual prophecy is when a prophet gives a depiction of two events as if they are a single event. For example, in Matthew 24, Jesus describes the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD and the end of the world within the same prophecy. In Daniel 8, the “little horn” refers to Antiochus (who was a type of anti-Christ) but also to the Anti-Christ who will appear in the end times. This future Anti-Christ will be in power for a time but will ultimately be defeated by Christ.

Conclusion

As we see unsettling events begin to unfold in our world, it’s easy to be afraid. But as followers of Christ, we can be hopeful! Our trust needs to be in God and not in this material world. When we live with hope rather than fear and anxiety, we will shine as lights in this dark world.

Our God is holy, powerful, and personal. He loves us and offers us confident hope that He is in control and He is good! If you are struggling with trusting in the Lord, we encourage you to pray and ask Him to help you trust Him more – not only now but in the future yet to come.