Word of Salvation – Vol.50 No.17 – May 2005

 

Horns Broken, for God Rules

 

Sermon by Rev J De Hoog on Daniel 8

 Scripture Reading:  2 Thessalonians 2

Suggested Hymns:  BoW 135b; 395; 72a; 388

 

Congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ…

Daniel 8 is full of great encouragement and great warning. It is also quite mysterious. In order to do some justice to this chapter, I would like to devote two sermons to it. This morning [or substitute a date] I would like to give you the general meaning and an overview of this chapter. Then this evening [or a second date] I want to come back to this chapter and draw out one very important principle concerning the way God deals with evil. This morning then, a general overview; this evening, how God deals with evil, and the practical implications of that.

Let me begin by telling you the story of the actual historical events that stand behind Daniel Chapter 8. It is the account of the life and rule of a Greek king by the name of Antiochus.

Antiochus came to power in 175 BC. At that time the Greek Empire, which had been established by Alexander the Great about 150 years before, was beginning to wane. Rome was about to become the new world power. Antiochus originally ruled a section of the Greek Empire centred in Asia Minor, but he was ambitious. He wanted more power, more control. In particular, he wanted to take control over that section of the Greek Empire centred in Egypt, which was ruled by another Greek king.

Now not only was Antiochus politically ambitious, he also wished to be a religious figure. He gave himself a blasphemous title: Basileus Antiochus Theos Epiphanos, which means ‘King Antiochus, God Manifest’. Actually, behind his back other people gave him the title, not Epiphanos, but Epimanos, which means ‘the Madman’! As his career progressed, it was the madman title that best suited him.

Here then, we have a man who gives himself this title: King Antiochus, God Manifest. Will a man who gives himself a title like that be successful? Initially, it seems, yes, very successful!

In 169 BC, he initiated his invasion of Egypt, and of course this meant travelling through Palestine. Without going into too much detail, he experienced much rebellion and opposition in Jerusalem. His response was cruel and crude in the extreme.

He savagely attacked and sacked Jerusalem, killing over a 100,000 inhabitants, including 40,000 people in just three days. He entered the holy of holies in the temple and defiled the temple area. He sacrificed a pig on the altar of burnt offerings, took away the temple furniture and installed his own man as high priest.

The following year was even worse. He massacred thousands of Jews as they were gathered for worship on a Sabbath day, he further vandalised the temple and set up a statue of Zeus in the holy of holies. He sacrificed human beings on the altar, circumcision was forbidden, unclean meat was made mandatory to eat, the Sabbath and other feast days were forbidden and heathen sacrifices were offered in the temple for the next three years. He purposely set out to destroy the Jewish religion. From December 167 BC to December 164 BC, for a period of three years and ten days, the Jerusalem sanctuary was desecrated in this way. But the rule of Antiochus was short, only a few years; he died, insane, and the terror was over. And in December 164 BC the temple was reconsecrated and Jewish sacrifice and worship recommenced.

These terrible events, which we now know about in hindsight from the historical records, were predicted 380 years before they happened. That prediction was given to Daniel in Babylon, in the vision that is recorded here in Daniel 8.

Actually, in this chapter, Daniel is given two visions, or a vision in two parts. He is given a vision full of symbols in verses 2-14, and then he is given a vision full of words in verses 15-26. The words in the second half of the chapter explain the symbols in the first half. So let’s take up the vision and its meaning first.

The vision comes to Daniel in the third year of the reign of King Belshazzar of Babylon. That’s in the year 548 BC. We came across King Belshazzar in Daniel Chapter 5. Remember how Belshazzar had given a banquet for a thousand of his officials? As part of his banquet, Belshazzar had committed sacrilege with the golden cups from the temple of the Lord in Jerusalem. At the height of the revelry a hand had written a message of doom on the wall. The writing was on the wall for Belshazzar and for Babylon. That very night, Babylon was defeated and the Medes and the Persians took control of the empire.

But the writing had been on the wall for Belshazzar long before that terrible night! In fact, so sure is the doom of Babylon in Belshazzar’s day, that the Babylonian Empire doesn’t even rate a mention in the vision Daniel receives during Belshazzar’s day. Daniel’s vision begins with the kings of Media and Persia.

In his vision, Daniel sees a powerful ram with two horns. He is told that this ram represents the kings of Media and Persia. He sees this ram thrusting furiously back and forth in every direction, becoming great because no one can oppose him.

But the vision quickly moves on, and Daniel sees even further forward into history. The ram with the two horns is suddenly attacked by a shaggy goat with a prominent horn between its eyes. The angel Gabriel tells Daniel that the goat represents the kingdom of Greece, and the shaggy goat’s prominent horn is the first king. The horn is Alexander the Great, the mighty conquering king of Greece. Alexander is an amazing figure of history. He was a general of the Greek army at age 21; by the age of 26 he had conquered the known world; and he was dead at age 33.

Daniel 8 has this to say about Alexander. Vs 8: ‘The goat became very great, but at the height of his power his large horn was broken off, and in its place four prominent horns grew up towards the four winds of heaven.’ At the height of his power, Alexander died. And when he died, his empire was split up between four of his generals. So the mighty Greek empire was split up and dispersed to the four winds of heaven. So it remained for another 150 years. And out of one of those four sections of the Greek Empire arose Antiochus, and all the terrible events that I related previously were perpetrated by this fiendish madman.

See how the events of Antiochus-‘ reign are predicted in Daniel 8.

Verses 9-12: ‘Out of one of them came another horn, which started small but grew in power to the south and the east and towards the Beautiful Land. [Here is Antiochus, starting small but growing, and heading into the Beautiful Land, the Promised Land, Israel.] It grew until it reached the host of the heavens, and it threw some of the starry host down to the earth and trampled on them. It set itself up to be as great as the Prince of the host; [here is Antiochus calling himself ‘God Manifest’] it took away the daily sacrifice from him, and the place of the sanctuary was brought low. Because of rebellion, the host of the saints and the daily sacrifice were given over to it. It prospered in everything it did, and truth was thrown to the ground [here is Antiochus desecrating the temple and taking away its worship and destroying thousands of Torah scrolls].’

Now here is the amazing thing. Daniel received this vision during the sixth century BC, yet it is accurately predicting events right up to the second century BC. A period of three hundred and eighty years! It’s as if Martin Luther had been able to accurately predict detailed events of the Second World War!

The predictions are so accurate that many modern scholars refuse to believe that they are predictions. They say that Daniel 8 is not prophecy so much as propaganda. Daniel didn’t receive this information during the reign of Belshazzar. Rather, this chapter was written during the second century BC, after the events, and the author pretended that Daniel had written this chapter. It’s propaganda, to make the Jews feel better after the terrible things that Antiochus did to them, not prophecy at all. It couldn’t possibly be, they say! No one can predict events with such accuracy! And so, many modern scholars say this is impossible. Daniel 8 must have been written after the events. It’s all just propaganda.

But here is God’s Word! Here is prophecy. See how carefully Daniel documents the vision. Verses 1-2: ‘In the third year of King Belshazzar’s reign, I, Daniel, had a vision, after the one that had already appeared to me. In my vision I saw myself in the citadel of Susa in the province of Elam; in the vision I was beside the Ulai Canal.’ Daniel gives the date. Daniel gives the geographical setting. These give the vision actuality; here is when and where the vision came to Daniel. What others saw after the events, Daniel is shown beforehand. It’s not propaganda, it’s prophecy!

It’s an issue of believing God, isn’t it? Do we have a God who knows everything before it happens, who actually brings history about, who is capable of telling his prophets beforehand what will happen? Of course! It’s a matter of belief in God, the One who is in control of history.

And what Daniel is being shown is history from God’s perspective. The historians of the world speak of Alexander the Great. They marvel at this incredible man, who had the world at his feet at the age of 26, who wept because there were no more worlds to conquer. How does God see him? As a billy goat, who is moving so fast that his feet don’t even touch the ground. The great conflict between Greece and Persia, which historians write huge tomes about, is in God’s eyes just a scrap between a ram and a billy goat.

And what about Antiochus? Historians know about him, but he is a minor figure. Just a small Greek king who had some small ambitions, not very important. Yes, he did some terrible things in Jerusalem, but Jerusalem was only a backwater, a small insignificant province in the whole empire. Unimportant in world history. See, this is how world history judges these men: Alexander the Great, and [whisper] Antiochus the little madman.

But see how God sees Antiochus. He is the central figure of this vision of Daniel-‘s. Yes, he begins small, a little horn, but he grows towards the Beautiful Land. He is threatening God’s people! And not only is he growing towards south and the east and the Beautiful Land, he is growing up! Up to heaven. He is setting himself up as God! That’s his significance. He is pushing himself up to God and he is threatening God’s people. And God’s concern is with his own honour, and with his own people, and with the Beautiful Land.

Here is history from God’s point of view. God’s great concern is with his own honour and with his own people. The truly great events in history are those events which affect his honour and his people. And ultimately, of course, God’s point of view in history is the only point of view which counts!

So here we have this amazing prophecy. In the sixth century, Daniel is given visions of 400 years of future history. And it turns out exactly as predicted. But is that all? Is that all there is to see here in Daniel 8? Is it just a prediction of history, something which shows God’s control, but is now in the past, relevant only for then? No! There is something else very important to see.

Jesus refers to this prophecy in his own teaching. You find it in Matthew chapter 24.

Matthew 24:15 ff: ‘So when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination that causes desolation’, spoken of through the prophet Daniel – let the reader understand – then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let no one on the roof of his house go down to take anything out of the house. Let no one in the field go back to get his cloak. How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers…’ Jesus goes on to describe how terrible those days will be. Then he goes on to explain the final victory of God. ‘At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory. And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.’

What is Jesus talking about here? And why does he refer to Daniel’s prophecy of the profanities of Antiochus?

Jesus is predicting terrible days in these words. He is referring to two different sets of terrible days. In the first instance, he is talking about what will happen to Jerusalem in 70 AD. Only forty years or so after Jesus died and rose again, the Roman armies, under a General named Titus, besieged Jerusalem and eventually destroyed it. More than a million Jews were killed, unspeakable atrocities were committed, the temple was absolutely razed to the ground, Titus paraded with the temple furniture to show off his victory, the whole of Jerusalem was knocked down stone by stone and the whole area ploughed, and then a temple to the god Jupiter was built on the site of the former temple of God. Jesus’ prophecy became stark reality; Jerusalem was trodden down by the Gentiles. Just as Antiochus desecrated Jerusalem in 167 BC, so the Romans removed it from the map in 70 AD.

In Matthew 24, Jesus is talking first of all about the razing of Jerusalem by the Romans. And it is remarkable how the actions of Antiochus 200 years before Christ are a foretaste the actions of the Romans 40 years after Christ. This is how the enemies of God operate!

But in Matthew 24, Jesus is not just talking about 70 AD and the destruction of Jerusalem. He is also predicting the final conflict, the great end time battle which will finish the history of the world we live in once and for all. Still to come is the great and final Antichrist, the man of lawlessness, and he, too, will follow the pattern of Antiochus of 167 BC and Titus of 70 AD.

See what 2 Thessalonians 2 says about this final Antichrist. ‘We ask you, brothers, not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by some prophecy, report or letter supposed to have come from us, saying that the day of the Lord has already come. Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshipped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God.’ See the pattern? Another Antiochus! Another Roman emperor claiming to be God! The final Antichrist! It’s the same pattern over again.

This is how it happens. During the Second World War there were many Christians who felt that Hitler must be the Antichrist of the New Testament. Look at him, slaughtering six million Jews! Look at him, parading as the emperor of all the world! They thought him to be the Antichrist. Who can blame them! And in a way, they were right, he was an antichrist, with a small ‘a’. For many antichrist figures will come.

Joseph Stalin was an antichrist figure to the millions of Russian peasants that were killed during his reign of terror. Krushchev, the Russian leader who oversaw the development of the Sputnik programme (the Russian space programme), said this in relation to the Sputniks: ‘We will go right up to heaven – if there is a heaven – and to the throne of God – if there is a throne of God – and we will topple God off his throne – if there is a God.’ You see, an antichrist figure. Setting himself up against God, seeking to tear God down. But of course, Krushchev spoke too soon, and God did the toppling, and Krushchev died a pathetic little man.

There have been many such figures. Nebuchadnezzar, Antiochus, Nero, even the Pope at times, Hitler, Stalin, Idi Amin, Pol Pot, the list goes on. Antichrist figures with a small ‘a’. One day, the final Antichrist figure will arise, and he will become all-powerful and deceive the whole world, except for the elect of God.

But look at what happens, what always happens to these men, and what will happen finally. In Daniel 8, Antiochus is described as follows (vs 23): ‘In the latter part of their reign… a stern-faced king, a master of intrigue, will arise. He will become very strong, but not by his own power. He will cause astounding devastation and will succeed in whatever he does… Yet he will be destroyed, but not by human power.’ Antiochus becomes very strong, but not by his own power. Then he will be destroyed, but not by human power. It is all in the hands of God. Alexander is cut down at the height of his power. Antiochus dies, a raving insane madman, only a year after his atrocities in Jerusalem. The Roman Empire is powerful for a time, but it comes and goes as all human empires do.

And when the final Antichrist is revealed, what will Jesus do then? [blow into microphone] That’s all! [do it again] 2 Thessalonians 2:8, ‘And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendour of his coming.’ The Antichrist will be a super powerful figure, all the world will go after him, he will exalt himself as God. Don’t be deceived. And don’t worry. Jesus will come and just blow him away!

Are you prepared for such events? How do you know that another such figure might not arise in your lifetime? Are you prepared? It’s a frightening thought. There may be times of great trouble and hardship and persecution ahead. What sort of attitude should we take?

Daniel is a great model, and I love the earthiness and practicality of this. Verse 27: ‘I, Daniel, was exhausted and lay ill for several days. Then I got up and went about the king’s business.’ Daniel is emotionally shattered by the vision, he is overwhelmed to the point of being sick. It really is a very scary prospect. But when he recovers, he simply gets up and goes about the king’s business. He gets up and goes back to the office! He doesn’t allow the vision to overwhelm him permanently! He doesn’t spend his days now, looking up at the sky, at the clouds, wondering when it’s all going to come true. He doesn’t let the prophecy become so preoccupying that he loses contact with reality. No, he just goes on with the king’s business.

This is the kind of attitude Jesus demands of us, too. He wants us to keep on with the business of the King-” King Jesus – until he comes back. Not so busy speculating about future events that you lose the energy to continue the King’s work. No, simple faithfulness. Jesus says ‘woe to the person who is not busy with the King’s business when he returns’. Come back tonight [or the next occasion] to see some of the details of that.

And get on with the King’s business, the business of the kingdom of God in Christ, with confidence. Realise that even the greatest and strongest man in the universe is nothing without God. Realise that sin and evil will finally be defeated. If times of hardship and persecution come, just get on with the King’s business. Be patient, for the Lord will return, and he will overthrow the evil one with the breath of his mouth and the splendour of his coming.

Here then is the general overall message of Daniel 8; here is the take-home message. Do not be deceived, and do not worry.

Do not be deceived: These massive anti-God, Antichrist powers that you see dominating world history have utterly no power of their own; they are all nothing in God’s eyes.

And do not worry: God will always continue to rule and he will finally defeat these powers through Jesus Christ and the victory he has already won.

Amen.