Daniel 8 - The Ram, The Goat, and The Little Horn
Daniel 8 - Vision of the Ram, the Goat, and the Little Horn
This chapter begins with Daniel having another vision regarding a ram and a goat. This vision took place during the reign of King Belshazzar of Babylon. In this post, we’ll discuss what the vision was and its interpretation. Please read Daniel 7 and my blog post about it before reading this one to get a bit more context.
The vision begins with Daniel standing by the River Ulai. Modern-day, this river is located in the western Iranian province of Khuzestan. It is 50 km away from the Iraq border and on the outskirts of what would have been the ancient city of Shushan.
The Ram (Daniel 8:1-4,20)
Daniel 8:1-4 - In the third year of the reign of King Belshazzar a vision appeared to me—to me, Daniel—after the one that appeared to me the first time. I saw in the vision, and it so happened while I was looking, that I was in Shushan, the citadel, which is in the province of Elam; and I saw in the vision that I was by the River Ulai. Then I lifted my eyes and saw, and there, standing beside the river, was a ram which had two horns, and the two horns were high; but one was higher than the other, and the higher one came up last. I saw the ram pushing westward, northward, and southward, so that no animal could withstand him; nor was there any that could deliver from his hand, but he did according to his will and became great.
Daniel 8:20 - The ram which you saw, having the two horns—they are the kings of Media and Persia.
At the river was a ram with two horns, one higher than the other. The higher one came up last. This ram pushed forward to the west, north, and south. Other animals were not able to withstand it and he became great.
This ram represents the Medo-Persian Empire. In Ancient Persian texts, a ram is used as a symbol of their empire. Additionally, Persian kings wore a ram’s head when they stood before their army. So, it is not surprising that the ram is used to represent the Medo-Persian Empire in Daniel’s vision. The ram having two horns represents that it was made up of both the Medes and Persians. The Persians were the stronger of the two groups, which is represented by one of the horns being larger. Also, the Persians came up in power after the Medes, which is also represented in the vision by the phrase “the higher one came up last” (found in Daniel 8:3).
The vision mentions that it pushed towards the west, north, and south. This is seen in the areas that the Medo-Persian Empire conquered during their reign. To the west, they conquered Babylon, Syria, and Asia Minor. To the north, they conquered Armenia and other regions around the Caspian Sea. To the south, they conquered Egypt and Ethiopia.
The Goat (Daniel 8:5-8, 21-22)
Daniel 8:5-8 - And as I was considering, suddenly a male goat came from the west, across the surface of the whole earth, without touching the ground; and the goat had a notable horn between his eyes. Then he came to the ram that had two horns, which I had seen standing beside the river, and ran at him with furious power. And I saw him confronting the ram; he was moved with rage against him, attacked the ram, and broke his two horns. There was no power in the ram to withstand him, but he cast him down to the ground and trampled him; and there was no one that could deliver the ram from his hand. Therefore the male goat grew very great; but when he became strong, the large horn was broken, and in place of it four notable ones came up toward the four winds of heaven.
Daniel 8:21,22 - And the male goat is the kingdom of Greece. The large horn that is between its eyes is the first king. As for the broken horn and the four that stood up in its place, four kingdoms shall arise out of that nation, but not with its power.
Later, a male goat with a horn between its eyes came from the west with such speeds that its feet did not touch the ground. The goat runs at the ram with great power and rage and attacks him, breaking the ram’s two horns. The ram couldn’t withstand the attack and was trampled. The male goat then grew very great and strong. The large horn that it had was broken and 4 grew in its place. They came up toward the 4 winds of heaven.
This male goal represents the kingdom of Greece. The Greecian Empire came from the west geographically, compared to both the Babylonian and Medo-Persian Empires. The Greeks conquered their Empire very quickly, over the course of 12 years, under the rule of Alexander the Great. He would be considered the “notable horn” mentioned in the vision. The Greeks fought viciously against the Persians and prevailed against them. Alexander continued conquering and the empire became great. This occurred due to Alexander’s desire to spread Greek civilization, culture, and language to all the lands that he had conquered. Because of his influence, Greek became the common language of the civilized world.
After his death, there was no successor named to take his place. As such, the Greek Empire was divided among 4 of Alexander’s generals (“in place of it four notable ones came up”). These rulers did not unite the entire empire together, they ruled their own sectors.
Cassander - ruled Greece and Macedon
Lysimachus - ruled Thrace and Asia Minor
Seleucus - ruled Middle-East and Asia
Ptolemy - ruled Egypt and Palestine
The Little Horn (Daniel 8:9-12)
Daniel 8:9-12 - And out of one of them came a little horn which grew exceedingly great toward the south, toward the east, and toward the Glorious Land. And it grew up to the host of heaven; and it cast down some of the host and some of the stars to the ground, and trampled them. He even exalted himself as high as the Prince of the host; and by him the daily sacrifices were taken away, and the place of His sanctuary was cast down. Because of transgression, an army was given over to the horn to oppose the daily sacrifices; and he cast truth down to the ground. He did all this and prospered.
Out of one of the horns of the Greecian Empire, a little horn will emerge which grows great towards the south, the east, and the Glorious Land (Israel). He cast down the hosts of heaven and the stars and tramples them. He exalts himself as Prince, stops daily sacrifices, and desecrates the sanctuary. He did all of this and continued to prosper. The sanctuary will remain that way for 2,300 days and then will be cleansed.
Many believe that this little horn represents Antiochus Epiphanes IV, from the line of Seleucus. He gained the throne through fratricide and continued his reign through flattery and bribes. He added the title ‘Ephiphanes’, meaning ‘illustrious’ to his name to symbolize deity. He gained power over the regions once held by both Seleucus and Ptolemy.
Antiochus Epiphanes was known for being a persecutor of the Jews. They were one of the few groups in the kingdom that still had their own religious beliefs and customs. Since he was a proponent of Hellenizing the kingdom, he wanted to force the Jews especially to submit to Greek culture and customs by any means necessary. He blasphemed against God and commanded people to worship him. He put a stop to the daily sacrifices in the temple in Jerusalem. He also desecrated the Jewish temple in two ways by erecting a statue of Zeus within the temple and by offering a pig as a sacrifice there.
In the last portion of that vision, we see that God answers for how long this desolation will last. He says that after 2,300 days, the sanctuary will be cleansed. This also came to pass. Antiochus Epiphanes was defeated by the Maccabean revolt. The Jews were vastly outnumbered, but God helped them prevail. The temple was finally rededicated to God on December 25th, 165 BC.
The Little Horn (Daniel 8:23-26)
Daniel 8:23-26 - “And in the latter time of their kingdom, When the transgressors have reached their fullness, A king shall arise, Having fierce features, Who understands sinister schemes.
His power shall be mighty, but not by his own power; He shall destroy fearfully, And shall prosper and thrive; He shall destroy the mighty, and also the holy people.
“Through his cunning He shall cause deceit to prosper under his rule; And he shall exalt himself in his heart. He shall destroy many in their prosperity. He shall even rise against the Prince of princes; But he shall be broken without human means.
“And the vision of the evenings and mornings Which was told is true; Therefore seal up the vision, For it refers to many days in the future.”
The little horn mentioned here can refer to Antiochus Epiphanes and to the eventual antichrist. This portion talks about both the rise and fall of that little horn. We’ll examine it phrase by phrase.
“When the transgressors have reached their fullness” - When Antiochus Epiphanes came into power, the people were in a stage of vast sin. In the same way, the antichrist will also come when the people are continuing in sin and have gone to the utmost extent. (For more details regarding the end times, please check out my post on the Signs of the End Times.)
“Having fierce features” - Antiochus Epiphanes was known for being cruel and brutal. He was also called Antiochus Epimanes, the Mad, because of his nature. The antichrist will have the same characteristics.
“Who understands sinister schemes” - Antiochus Epiphanes was known for using flattery to hold on to his kingdom. The antichrist also will use smooth words to win over the people of Israel (see Daniel 9:27).
“His power shall be mighty, but not by his own power” - This refers to the antichrist being empowered by Satan (see 2 Thessalonians 2:9,10)
“Shall prosper and thrive” - Even though Antiochus Epiphanes was a tyrant while ruling, he and his kingdom prospered. He had much wealth and used it to erect Greek temples and other cultural buildings in all the places that he conquered. In the same way, the antichrist will be very prosperous while he is ruling here on earth. He will have the wealth leftover from when the believers are raptured and his covenants with nations will allow for great economic prosperity.
“He shall destroy the mighty, and also the holy people” - Antiochus Epiphanes orchestrated the murder of his own brother to get control of the throne and was known for being a ruthless ruler, as well as a persecutor of the Jews. The antichrist will be the same. He will persecute all those who go against him. And once the Great Tribulation begins, he will persecute the Jewish people very harshly.
“He shall exalt himself in his heart” - Antiochus Epiphanes called himself an incarnate of Zeus and inscribed his currency with the phrase ‘theos epiphanies, meaning ‘God manifest’. The antichrist also will exalt himself and make himself seem like a god to the people (see 2 Thessalonians 2:4).
“Broken without human means” - The antichrist will not be defeated by man, but by Jesus Christ. During Christ’s Second Coming, He will utterly destroy the antichrist and strike him down (see Revelation 19:20).
