According to Daniel 7:28, Daniel was greatly troubled by his vision. The only part of the vision not explained was the time aspect, which was made clear when he was given another vision a few years later.
Chapter 8 contains the central prophetic vision of the book of Daniel. As in Chapter 7, Daniel receives a vision that features more animals, but this vision comes in two parts: first the action in symbols and then an explanation.
Daniel saw a two-horned ram that pushed westward, northward and southward and no “beast” (a beast in Bible prophecy represents a political power) could stand against it. Then he saw a male goat with “a notable horn between his eyes” coming from the west. (A horn in biblical prophecy represents a ruler.) The ram challenged the goat with disastrous results. It was destroyed.
The goat dominated the area. Soon, this notable horn was broken and four horns grew in its place, but then another little horn grew and “grew exceedingly great.”
This little horn challenged heaven itself, the “Prince of the host,” God’s sanctuary (or temple) and its sacrifices. And, said Daniel, this little horn “cast truth down to the ground.”
The prophetic drama ended with a conversation. A “holy one” asked how long the little horn’s battle against heaven was to continue and the answer is given in Daniel 8:14: “For two thousand three hundred years and then the sanctuary will be cleansed.” This is the central part of the vision.
While Daniel was trying to work out what the vision meant he heard someone commission Gabriel to “make this man to understand the vision.”
Gabriel began his explanation by telling Daniel the time this vision was concerned the “time of the end” and the “latter time of indignation.” And then he identified the players in the drama and he could not have been more specific! We will see that in my next column.
Daniel 8 is the last symbolic vision of Daniel and contains the longest time prophecy of the Bible. The following chapters explain and expand on this vision.
This chapter gives more details about the rise and fall of nations. It tells us more about this little horn kingdom and explains the purpose of the Jewish sanctuary.
Ian Cotton is the retired pastor of the Creston Seventh-day Adventist Church.