Daniel 8: 1-27

In the third year of the reign of Belshazzar the king a vision appeared to me, Daniel, subsequent to the one which appeared to me previously. I looked in the vision, and while I was looking I was in the citadel of Susa, which is in the province of Elam; and I looked in the vision and I myself was beside the Ulai Canal. Then I lifted my eyes and looked, and behold, a ram which had two horns was standing in front of the canal. Now the two horns were long, but one was longer than the other, with the longer one coming up last. I saw the ram butting westward, northward, and southward, and no other beasts could stand before him nor was there anyone to rescue from his power, but he did as he pleased and magnified himself. While I was observing, behold, a male goat was coming from the west over the surface of the whole earth without touching the ground; and the goat had a conspicuous horn between his eyes. He came up to the ram that had the two horns, which I had seen standing in front of the canal, and rushed at him in his mighty wrath. I saw him come beside the ram, and he was enraged at him; and he struck the ram and shattered his two horns, and the ram had no strength to withstand him. So he hurled him to the ground and trampled on him, and there was none to rescue the ram from his power. Then the male goat magnified himself exceedingly. But as soon as he was mighty, the large horn was broken; and in its place there came up four conspicuous horns toward the four winds of heaven. Out of one of them came forth a rather small horn which grew exceedingly great toward the south, toward the east, and toward the Beautiful Land. It grew up to the host of heaven and caused some of the host and some of the stars to fall to the earth, and it trampled them down. It even magnified itself to be equal with the Commander of the host; and it removed the regular sacrifice from Him, and the place of His sanctuary was thrown down. And on account of transgression the host will be given over to the horn along with the regular sacrifice; and it will fling truth to the ground and perform its will and prosper. Then I heard a holy one speaking, and another holy one said to that particular one who was speaking, “How long will the vision about the regular sacrifice apply, while the transgression causes horror, so as to allow both the holy place and the host to be trampled?” He said to me, “For 2,300 evenings and mornings; then the holy place will be properly restored.” When I, Daniel, had seen the vision, I sought to understand it; and behold, standing before me was one who looked like a man. And I heard the voice of a man between the banks of Ulai, and he called out and said, “Gabriel, give this man an understanding of the vision.” So he came near to where I was standing, and when he came I was frightened and fell on my face; but he said to me, “Son of man, understand that the vision pertains to the time of the end.” Now while he was talking with me, I sank into a deep sleep with my face to the ground; but he touched me and made me stand upright. He said, “Behold, I am going to let you know what will occur at the final period of the indignation, for it pertains to the appointed time of the end. The ram which you saw with the two horns represents the kings of Media and Persia. The shaggy goat represents the kingdom of Greece, and the large horn that is between his eyes is the first king. The broken horn and the four horns that arose in its place represent four kingdoms which will arise from his nation, although not with his power. “In the latter period of their rule, When the transgressors have run their course, A king will arise, Insolent and skilled in intrigue. “His power will be mighty, but not by his own power, And he will destroy to an extraordinary degree And prosper and perform his will; He will destroy mighty men and the holy people. “And through his shrewdness He will cause deceit to succeed by his influence; And he will magnify himself in his heart, And he will destroy many while they are at ease. He will even [ag]oppose the Prince of princes, But he will be broken without human agency. “The vision of the evenings and mornings Which has been told is true; But keep the vision secret, For it pertains to many days in the future.” Then I, Daniel, was exhausted and sick for days. Then I got up again and carried on the king’s business; but I was astounded at the vision, and there was none to explain it.

Sermon Summary
On Sunday, Pastor Russell Johnson explored Daniel 8 by examining one of the most detailed prophecies in Scripture—a vision that accurately predicted Alexander the Great and Antiochus IV Epiphanes hundreds of years before they lived. Pastor Russell opened with a clever AI-generated "prophetic vision" about the American Civil War to illustrate how remarkable true biblical prophecy actually is, then demonstrated that "God's Word can be trusted. It is reliable and the prophecies of Daniel are powerful evidence for divine inspiration!" He explained the double fulfillment principle, showing how Antiochus Epiphanes serves as both a historical fulfillment and a foreshadowing of the future Antichrist. Pastor Russell concluded with a sobering warning: "We are all capable of beastly gross sinful behavior. It is arrogant to think otherwise," challenging us not to rage arrogantly against God's Kingdom and values but instead to reflect the character of Christ-followers who love others and uphold God's Kingdom.

1. What's the most eerily accurate prediction you've ever heard someone make—whether it was about weather, sports, politics, or something personal? How did it make you feel about that person's insight or knowledge?
2. Read Daniel 8:3-8 together. Pastor Russell explained how this vision predicted Alexander the Great with stunning accuracy, noting that "Jewish historian Flavius Josephus tells the story that as Alexander the Great swept through the ancient world" he may have actually read about himself in Daniel's prophecy. How does knowing that biblical prophecies were fulfilled with such precision hundreds of years later strengthen our confidence in God's sovereignty over history and our personal futures?
3. Read Daniel 8:9-14. Pastor Russell described how Antiochus IV Epiphanes desecrated the Temple, banned Jewish practices, and called himself "Epiphanes" (meaning "God Manifest"), though many called him "Epimanes" (meaning "the madman"). When we face leaders or cultural movements that oppose God's values and persecute believers, how does understanding Daniel's vision help us maintain perspective on the temporary nature of evil's seeming triumph?
4. Read Daniel 8:23-26 and 2 Thessalonians 2:3-12. Pastor Russell taught about the double fulfillment principle—Antiochus as both historical reality and prophetic shadow of the coming Antichrist. Given that Scripture warns us "Eternity and the cosmic battle around us is real" and that "we must be ready to endure hardship and persecution," what specific spiritual disciplines should we be strengthening now to prepare for increasingly hostile opposition to biblical faith?
5. Read Daniel 8:15-18, 27. Daniel was so overwhelmed by this vision that he "was exhausted and sick for days," and Pastor Russell noted that "if Daniel was unable to comprehend it all, we should be good with a fair bit of mystery as well." How do we balance healthy curiosity about end-times prophecy with humble acceptance that some things remain mysterious, without falling into either obsessive speculation or complete disinterest?
6. Read Daniel 7:25 and Daniel 8:24-25. Pastor Russell warned that we shouldn't look at historical tyrants like Nebuchadnezzar, Belshazzar, or Antiochus Epiphanes and assume we're fundamentally different, saying "We are all capable of beastly gross sinful behavior. It is arrogant to think otherwise." Share about a time when you were shocked by your own capacity for pride, arrogance, or rebellion against God—what did that reveal about your need for constant dependence on Christ?
7. Read Daniel 8:11-12 and Matthew 24:15-22. Pastor Russell challenged us: "You do not want to see yourself profiled as a beast in scripture raging arrogantly against God's Kingdom and values. We want to see ourselves as the NT profiles what believers should look like." What is one specific area in our lives this week where we can actively choose to love others and uphold God's Kingdom values rather than succumb to beastly, self-centered behavior?
   
   

Extra Credit
Look up and read these passages about God's sovereignty over world empires and His faithfulness to preserve His people through persecution:
Daniel 2:20-21 - "Daniel said, 'Let the name of God be blessed forever and ever, For wisdom and power belong to Him. It is He who changes the times and the epochs; He removes kings and establishes kings; He gives wisdom to wise men And knowledge to men of understanding.'"
Daniel 7:21-22 - "I kept looking, and that horn was waging war with the saints and overpowering them until the Ancient of Days came and judgment was passed in favor of the saints of the Highest One, and the time arrived when the saints took possession of the kingdom."
Romans 8:35-39 - "Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Just as it is written, 'FOR YOUR SAKE WE ARE BEING PUT TO DEATH ALL DAY LONG; WE WERE CONSIDERED AS SHEEP TO BE SLAUGHTERED.' But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
Revelation 13:9-10 - "If anyone has an ear, let him hear. If anyone is destined for captivity, to captivity he goes; if anyone kills with the sword, with the sword he must be killed. Here is the perseverance and the faith of the saints."

What common threads do you see running through these passages about how God's people should respond when facing persecution from powerful rulers who oppose God's Kingdom? How do these texts encourage both patient endurance and confident hope in God's ultimate victory?