DANIEL 8 SUMMARY
Within the pages of this book is the study of three stories in one prophecy, written regarding the interpretation of the prophecy of Daniel 8. In understanding story one, the reader will gain an appreciation for literal prophetic fulfillment as spoken by the inspiration of God to build faith in His Word. In understanding story two, the reader will gain an appreciation of prophecy as the testimony of Jesus Christ and receive insight into the character of God and what He has done for us in giving us His Son. In understanding story three the reader will gain an appreciation for prophecy in that it repeats itself, is a warning to us regarding the ongoing controversy between Christ and Satan, and shows us how to place our trust in God during prophetic events at the close of time.
STORY ONE
Daniel 8 begins with the story of how the Ram, representing the kings of the Medes and the Persians, was chosen by God to set the people of God free to return to Jerusalem following their Babylonian captivity. The kings of the Medes and Persians gave them the means and the power to re-build the temple of God for the purpose of worship and to govern themselves under God. Coming from the east and moving westward, northward, and southward they conquered greater and greater territories.
But the king of Greece coming from the west had a vision to conquer the world. And with fury and power he destroyed the kings of the Medes and the Persians by using pretended friendship, discontent, intermarriage, Greek education, speed, and weapons of war, to destroy their freedom giving powers. Once their freedoms were destroyed , the kings of the Medes and Persians had no power within or without to withstand the king of Greece. The king of Greece became great! But just at the point of his greatest success, he died, and his kingdom was divided to his four generals.
These four generals had the same vision and used the same methods to continue conquer ing the world that the king of Greece did. To a greater or lesser extent, these four regions were Hellenized as Greek culture and Greek religious beliefs influenced the indigenous people.
The Little Horn Power of Daniel 8 came directly out of Macedonia but more specifically out of Lysimachus (northern kingdom) which was also the later site of the capital of the Byzantium Empire or Early Roman Empire whose capital was eventually renamed Constantinople after the Roman Emperor Constantine. Under Emperor Constantine, the Little Horn Power was a Roman state power growing great in the capital of Constantinople which also claimed power over the Christian church. In effort to unite His kingdom, Emperor Constantine compromised the Christian faith with indigenous Greek traditions and idolatrous beliefs. His plan worked and over time the church became more and more corrupt. Eventually the papal church was given power over the state, and the church used her power to persecute those who did not share her corrupted beliefs including those who had remained faithful to God’s Word. For 1260 years this Little Horn power successfully trampled upon the true practice and faith of the people of God.
But the 2300-day vision of Daniel 8:1-12 was prophesied to have an end. And at that point scripture tells us there would be a cleansing of the sanctuary. This cleansing included a cleansing of the sanctuary of our hearts and minds concerning the mis-information the papacy had propagated regarding the character of Christ in His role as intercessory High Priest in heaven, the true character of God, and the character of what constitutes true worship of God. Using the concept taught by the Bible that a day in prophecy is equal to a year, the prophecy of Daniel 8, regarding the cleansing of the sanctuary began in the year 1843-1844. This cleansing of the sanctuary commenced near the beginning of what is called the time of the end.
But for Daniel to understand it, he must understand the next vision of Daniel 8 found in verse 15 which is the vision of the appearance of the Mighty Warrior, Jesus Christ who is standing on water. Daniel was afraid of this vision and falls upon his face. At the command of the Mighty Man to Gabriel to make Daniel to understand His appearance, Daniel is prophetically told that the 2300-day vision will be fulfilled at the time of the end. He is then strengthened by the touch of Gabriel to stand and to hear an explanation of the 2300-day vision. But at the end of the vision and the explanation, Daniel still does not understand either vision. Daniel must humble his heart in prayer and petition God for corporate forgiveness to be given understanding of the appearance of the Mighty Man, being Jesus Christ, and what He would accomplish at the cross for us.
STORY TWO
The second story is the the story of the cross and the battle between Christ and Satan. The Ram representing the kings of the Medes and the Persians is also a type of Christ. Just as the kings of the Medes and Persians were chosen by God to set the Jewish nation free to rebuild their sanctuary and to govern themselves under God, so Jesus came to set us free from our sin and provided His power and grace to restore our bodies as living temples of the Holy Ghost with Him being the head of that body. By laying His life down He re-established the heart of the law of God and abolished the penalty of the broken law of God.
The He-goat representing the king of Greece is figurative for Satan. Satan had a visionary or noteable horn in that he desired to be king of this world. And with the fall of Adam he became king of the Gentile world, or world that did not place their trust in God. By his deceptive means of pretended friendship, playing upon human discontents, intermarriage, worldly education, passion, speed, and force, Satan convinced the denominated people of God to place Christ on a cross. Once they chose Caesar as their king and refused Jesus Christ, the Jewish nation had no power within or without to withstand Satan. It looked as though the king of the Gentile world had become great! But just at the point of his greatest success, with the last breath of Christ, Satan, the accuser of the brethren, was forever cast out of heaven to this earth!
At the cross, Satan’s earthly kingdom was divided into the four winds or the powers of this earth. Following the cross, the world began to convert the church using the same methods and vision of their Gentile king, Satan, the antichrist and father of lies.
Just as the Little Horn Power was a church/state power used to persecute Christians, so at the cross, Satan used Roman state power to convict Jesus. In an effort to save the Israelite kingdom, the leaders of the Jewish temple chose to confederate with Roman state power to have Christ convicted and crucified. Satan’s plan worked and the Jewish nation rejected their Savior. Eventually the church was given state power to persecute those who did not share her beliefs regarding Jesus, including a new sect called Christians, who had remained faithful to Jesus Christ and God’s Word. For years the Jews confederated with Rome to trample upon the true practice and faith of the people of God.
But the reign of Satan was prophesied to have an end. Jesus, at the beginning of His ministry while on this earth, cleansed the temple from the buyers and sellers of salvation. Christ said they had turned His Father’s house into a house of merchandise. Christ taught the people that salvation was the gift of God, through the blood of the Lamb, and could not be bought or sold. At the conclusion of His three and a half years of ministry, Christ cleansed the sanctuary again from thieves. But He also restored the temple to a house of prayer for all nations. In this way He taught the people that salvation was the gift of God for everyone. And so Christ combated with truth the mis-information Satan had propagated about the character of God, and what constitutes true worship of God.
Jesus volunteered to become a Man to take our penalty of death for sin. But praise God, Christ, as God the Son, took up His sinless humanity, rising from the dead, and ascended to the throne of God as a God/Man to intercede as High Priest for us, bestowing upon us the free gift of His Holy Spirit and the graces of God. Since then, by faith in the blood of Jesus Christ we have direct access to the throne of God by prayer. Though His mission was misunderstood on this earth, He is the mareh, or the appearance of the Mighty Man. At the cross, He prevailed and won the battle over the soul and saved anyone who chooses to place their trust in Him.
STORY THREE
Story three regards the final end of the indignation of Satan and God. Again, the battle between Christ and Satan is played out by the superpowers of this earth. This story follows the prophetic spiritual fall of Babylon called the reformation, where the papacy received the deadly wound by the sword , or Word of God, due to Protestantism.
The Ram, representing the kings of the Medes and Persians, again comes on the scene in the form of a new nation, chosen by God as a place to set the people of God free. With the two horns or powers of Protestantism and Republicanism, the United States of America gave the people of God the means and power to reconnect with the throne of God in heaven and to practice free and true worship of God, governing themselves under God. With these freedoms, the United States soon became the next super-power of the world, and her churches concentrated on taking the gospel to the world, conquering greater and greater territories for God.
History continues to repeat itself and Satan, the He-goat, still has a vision to conquer the world. Through worldly superpowers and with fury and power, he intends to destroy the two freedom giving powers of the United States of America by using pretended friendship, discontent, intermarriage, Greek education and worldly passion, speed, and weapons of war. Once Protestantism and Republicanism are destroyed, the United States and like nations will have no power within or without to withstand the mission of Satan. The king of the Gentile world will become great! But just at the point of his greatest success, his kingdom will be divided to the powers of the earth represented by the leopard-like beast of Revelation 13.
These worldly superpowers will have the same vision and use the same methods to conquer the world that Satan, the king of the Gentile world used and are powered by Satan.
In effort to unite the world, the beast or state powers of the earth will confederate with the papal church once again creating the image of the beast of Revelation 13, and the world will experience a repeat performance of the Little Horn power of Daniel 8.
This Little Horn power will grow great and will require worship based upon the laws of man, rather than the Law of God. In effort to have unity, many will compromise their Bible based Christian faith with man-made traditions and idolatrous beliefs put forth by the Leopard-like beast and the Image of the Beast of Revelation 13. Over time, the Image of the Beast (church/state power) and the Lamb-like beast being the United States of America, and the powers of the earth being the Leopard like beast of Revelation 13 will become more and more corrupt, using their power to persecute those who do not practice or share their corrupted beliefs, including those who have remained faithful to Jesus Christ and God’s Word. The whole earth will have to choose between the provision of the true manna from heaven or the false.
But there will be an end. There will be a people of God, who, touched by a living coal from the altar of incense or place of prayer at the throne of God, will be purged or cleansed. These people represent the temple of God here on this earth connected with the temple of God in heaven. They will give the message of the fall of Babylon once again, and will teach the world who this man of sin, pretending to be God, is. They will warn the world about receiving the Mark of the Beast. In humility of spirit, they will come to the Throne of God in prayer for corporate forgiveness and will be given understanding of the Appearance of the Mighty Man, being Jesus Christ and what He accomplished at the cross for us. Hearts and minds cleansed by the atoning blood of Jesus Christ, will clarify before the world as living witnesses to the truth regarding the character of our true High Priest in Heaven and the atonement, He has made for every living person and what constitutes true worship of God. Even in the adversity of persecution, they will be strengthened by the touch of Gabriel or the Spirit of Prophecy to reveal both by example and word, the Mighty Man, Jesus Christ, to the world.