of your church Bible. It's quite a big section, so I encourage you to get yourself a Bible.
You can follow along. There's a lot of detail in these chapters, and therefore it'll help
you keep focused with what it's all about. Before we read chapter 8, just by way of introduction,
and you'll notice that Daniel 1 to 6 is slightly different from Daniel chapter 7 through to the
end of the book, and from Daniel 7 onwards, this is called apocalyptic literature. It's a bit of a
mouthful, but it's a kind of writing that uses all kinds of colours and imagery, sometimes numbers,
to tell us two big ideas. First, what's going on in the world, and what God is going to do about it
in the future. So it's a kind of writing with lots of imagery and colours to tell us about what is
going on in the world now, and what will happen in the future. And this is what the vision is all
about. Kirsty is going to come and read for us Daniel chapter 8, verses 1 through to 27.
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 Ule Canal. I looked up, and there before me was a ram with two horns,
standing beside the canal, and the horns were long. One of the horns was longer than the other,
but grew up later. I watched the ram as he charged towards the west and the north and the south.
No animal could stand against him, and none could rescue from his power. He did as he pleased,
and became great. As I was thinking about this, suddenly a goat with a prominent horn between his
eyes came from the west, crossing the whole earth without touching the ground. He came towards the
two-horned ram I had seen standing beside the canal, and charged at him in great rage. I saw him attack the
ram furiously, striking the ram and shattering his two horns. The ram was powerless to stand against him.
The goat knocked him to the ground and trampled on him, and none could rescue the ram from his power.
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.
Out of one of them came another horn, which started small but grew in power to the south and to the east
and towards the beautiful land. 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. It took away the daily sacrifice from him, and the place of his 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.
Then I heard a holy one speaking, and another holy one said to him,
How long will it take for the vision to be fulfilled, the vision concerning the daily sacrifice,
the rebellion that causes desolation, and the surrender of the sanctuary and of the host
that will be trampled and underfoot? He said to me,
It will take 2,300 evenings and mornings. Then the sanctuary will be re-consecrated.
While I, Daniel, was watching the vision and trying to understand it, there before me stood one who
looked like a man, and I heard a man's voice from the ule calling,
Gabriel, tell this man the meaning of the vision. As he came near the place where I was standing,
I was terrified and fell prostrate. Son of man, he said to me, understand that the vision
concerned the time of the end. While he was speaking to me, I was in a deep sleep,
with my face to the ground. Then he touched me and raised me to my feet. He said,
I am going to tell you what will happen later in the time of wrath, because the vision
concerned the appointed time of the end. The two-horned ram that you saw represents the kings
of Media and Persia. The shaggy goat is the king of Greece, and the large horn between his eyes is
the first king. The four horns that replace the one that was broken off represent four kingdoms
that will emerge from his nation but will not have the same power. In the latter part of their reign,
when rebels have become completely wicked, 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. He will destroy the mighty men and the holy people. He will cause
deceit to prosper, and he will consider himself superior. When they feel secure, he will destroy
many and take his stand against the prince of princes. Yet he will be destroyed, but not by human power.
The vision of the evenings and mornings that has been given you is true. But seal up the vision,
for it concerns the distant future. I, Daniel, was exhausted and lay ill for several days. Then I got up
and went about the king's business. I was appalled by the vision. It was beyond understanding.
Thanks very much. Well, let's pray. I think we always need God's help. And in particular,
with a vision like this, what does it have to say to us today? Well, let's pray and ask God to help us.
Our Father God, we come before you as the one who is Lord of history.
Therefore, Lord over our lives and Lord over everything.
We thank you that in your goodness you have given to us your word, written down.
We thank you for the book of Daniel.
We thank you for all it contains.
And while some of it is complex to our minds,
we pray that by your Holy Spirit,
you would not just give us intellectual understanding,
but an understanding of the heart,
whereby it causes us
to love you,
the Lord of history,
to trust you
in everything,
both today
and for the rest of our lives.
So please help us, we ask in Jesus' name.
Amen.
You have three choices.
Three choices.
Number one,
you can denounce the Lord Jesus
and live.
Number two,
you can pay a protection tax
to save your life
but have no rights.
Or number three,
you can continue to honour the Lord Jesus
and die.
Thankfully, that's not a choice
we have to make right now.
But it might be.
If you're a follower of the Lord Jesus
and you live in a country like Iraq
or Iran,
those will be the choices
that are put to you.
You can denounce the Lord Jesus
and live.
You can pay a protection tax
to save your life
but have no rights.
Or you can continue to honour the Lord Jesus
and die.
This is the reality
for many of the world's Christians
and with the spread of ISIS
that we hear on the news,
the growing influence of Sharia law,
it will be a reality
for many more people,
even
in Europe.
But this sort of thing
shouldn't surprise us
because this kind of treatment
of Christians
is not new.
It happened during the life of Daniel
as we have seen
under the Babylonian
and the Persian empires.
And in this vision
in chapter 8,
Daniel tells us
that things are going to get
a whole lot worse
before they get any better.
Things are going to get
a whole lot worse
before they get better.
No wonder Daniel felt sick
after what he saw.
Look at verse 27.
After his vision,
he says,
I, Daniel, was exhausted
and lay ill
for several days.
Daniel was completely
and utterly
wiped out
by the vision.
The very thought
of what was to come
made him so weak
that he couldn't
get out of bed.
But,
look at the rest
of verse 27.
Then I got up
and went about
the king's business.
I was appalled
by the vision.
I was so overwhelmed
by it.
It was beyond
understanding.
You see,
somehow,
Daniel
was able
to keep on going,
living for God
in the place
where God
had called him to,
even though
he knew
things were going
to get worse.
Now,
you and I
mightn't face
the same kind
of pressure
that Daniel did
or our fellow
brothers and sisters
in Iraq
had to do.
but sometimes,
and I know
this is true
for some of you,
going into work
or into school
or perhaps
to your lectures
as the only Christian,
some days
that's really
too much.
We feel the pressure
of loneliness.
we feel the difficulty
of being different,
of being misunderstood.
And sometimes,
just simply trying
to live for God
in a world
that is hostile
to God
can be so difficult
and so overwhelming
we just don't want
to get out of bed.
Have you ever felt
like that?
Because I have.
You just don't want
to face
a day.
So what is it
that Daniel saw
that made him
so ill
but
enabled him
to get up
and to get on
with serving God
where he was?
Because if we can
get that right
it's going to help us
living our lives
for him.
So three things
we're going to see
from this vision
that Daniel saw.
Here's the first thing
he sees.
A God who knows
all of history.
Now the book of Daniel
is really quite remarkable
especially these last
few chapters
and particularly
chapter 8.
Let me show you.
Daniel
was written
around 530
BC.
530
before Christ.
But when we read
chapter 8
he is actually
talking about
kings and kingdoms
that came into power
300 to 500
years later.
In other words
this vision
is telling us
that God
knows
all of history.
Let me show you.
Verse 3
chapter 8.
He says
I looked up
and there before me
was a ram
with two horns.
Down at verse 5.
As I was thinking
about this
about the ram
with the two horns
suddenly
a goat
with a prominent horn
between his eyes
came from the west.
What's all this
farmyard
talk about?
Well look at the
interpretation
verse 20.
The two horned ram
that you saw
represents the kings
of Media
and Persia.
The shaggy goat
is the king
of Greece
and the large horn
between his eyes
is the first king
and we know
now that the
first king
of the Greek
empire
was
Alexander the Great.
You see
in this vision
we have
such
precise
detail.
The clarity
and the
accuracy
of this
vision
is incredible.
History
tells us
and you can
look up
the books
for yourself
that after
the Babylonian
empire
came
the Persian
empire
and after
the Persian
empire
came the
Greek
empire
under
Alexander
the Great.
All of that
is fact.
It's all true.
It's undisputed.
But God
through Daniel
was telling him
all these
things
500 years
before they
happened.
You see
God knows
all that
will take
place
before
the end
of time.
God
knows
what's
going to
happen
next year.
God
knows
what's
going to
happen
next week.
God
knows
what's
going to
happen
to us
this
afternoon.
Now
doesn't
that
help
you
to
turn
the
light
on
in
these
dark
mornings
and
begin
to
help
you
to
get
up.
Because
here
we
have
a
God
who
knows
all
of
history.
He
knows
what
empires
will
rule.
He
knows
what
kings
will
lead.
And
if
God
knows
that,
then
God
knows
what
is
happening
in
your
life
and
in
my
life.
Every
single
detail.
He's
not
surprised
by
each
new
day.
He's
not
overwhelmed
by the
circumstances
that you
face
into.
He
knows
the
whole
of
your
life
from
the
first
day
till
your
last
day
and
all
the
little
intricate
details
in
between.
God
knows
all
of
history
and
he
knows
the
history
of
your
life.
The
second
thing
that
Daniel
sees
is a
God
who
rules
over
history.
So he
not only
knows
history,
he
rules
all of
history.
As
Daniel
takes
in this
vision
that he
sees,
all he
seems to
see is
great
upheaval
and
violent
conflict.
Great
upheaval
and violent
conflict.
Look at
verse 4
of
chapter
8.
He
says,
I
watched
the
ram
as he
charged
towards
the
west
and
the
north
and
the
south.
No
animal
could
stand
against
him
and
none
could
rescue
from
his
power.
He
did
as he
pleased
and
became
great.
Now
as we've
seen,
we know
that this
was the
rule of
the
Medo-Persian
empire.
For the
best part
of 250
years,
it ruled
the world
with power
and might.
It
swallowed up
surrounding
nations as
the Persian
empire expanded
its borders
as it
pleased.
But that
was all
soon to be
replaced,
verse 5.
as I
was thinking
about this,
suddenly a
goat with
a prominent
horn between
his eyes
came from
the west
crossing the
whole earth
without
touching
the ground.
This
goat with
the horn,
as we have
seen as
well,
was the
empire of
Greece,
under the
rule of
Alexander the
Great.
With his
vast armies,
he marched
with such
speed and
ferocity,
like a
tidal wave.
It
conquered
everyone and
everything in
its path.
Verse 6.
He came
towards the
two-horned
ram I
had seen
standing beside
the canal
and charged
at him in
great rage.
I saw him
attack the
ram furiously,
striking the
ram and
shattering its
two horns.
The ram was
powerless to
stand against
him.
The goat
knocked him
to the ground
and trampled
on him,
and none
could rescue
the ram
from his
power.
When the
Greeks came
in,
they decimated
the Persians.
But strong
and as
powerful as
the Greek
empire was,
it had its
own internal
conflicts.
Look at
verse 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.
What on
earth is
all that
about?
Well, look
at verse 22.
The interpretation
is given.
Verse 22.
The four
horns that
replaced the
one that
was broken
off represent
four kingdoms
that will
emerge from
his nation
but will
not have
the same
power.
Again,
history tells
us that when
Alexander the
Great died,
the Greek
empire was
split into
four smaller
kingdoms,
each of
which was
ruled by
a new
general or
a new
king.
And this
is what
Daniel is
telling us,
even though
he's writing
500 years
before it
happened.
The point
is,
history is
bloody and
violent.
There's this
continued desire
for power
and for
control.
And stuck
in the
middle of
all these
wars and
squeezed in
between all
these conflicts
are God's
people.
People like
Daniel.
Because Christians
are not immune
from this
chaos.
We live in a
troubled world.
We can't
escape it.
And if we are
not careful,
we can begin
to panic and
think that God
has somehow
lost control
of the world
in which we
live.
As we look
out onto the
world today,
it's easy to
think that
nobody rules.
Turn on your
television and
see all the
bad news
that there
is.
The raging
conflicts
across Syria
and Iraq.
The continued
battles between
Russia and
Ukraine.
The upheaval
that we've seen
recently in
Burkino Faso.
power
continually
shifts from
one ruling
party to
another.
Recent
elections in
the US
tell us that
the Republicans
are going to
replace the
Democrats.
And here at
home, the
so-called
saviors of
our economy,
Fina Gael,
are now
bottom of the
popularity
poll.
Because that's
the world we
live in,
a violent
upheaval.
there's
power battles
and power
struggles that
happen around
us all the
time.
And this is
the life we
live in.
We're stuck
in the middle
of it all as
nations and
leaders seek
control.
But we are
not to panic.
We are not
to lose hope.
The message
to Daniel and
to us in
all of this
is that God
rules over
all of
history.
God takes
Daniel into
this vision
and he shows
Daniel what
was going to
take place
into the
future to
show Daniel
that he is
in control.
Nations will
rise.
Kings will
fall.
But I rule
over everyone.
I oversee
the appointment
of every
Taoiseach.
I govern
the fall
of every
party.
I am the
sovereign God
who rules.
So don't
panic.
Now doesn't
that help you
to turn your
light on in
the morning
and begin
to get up?
Because here
we have a
God who
rules over
all of
history.
And if
God rules
over the
affairs of
this world
then that
means he
rules over
the affairs
of your
life and
my life.
That means
when you go
into work
tomorrow
and you've
got a boss
you don't
get on
with.
God rules
over your
boss.
When you
go to
college
tomorrow
and you're
facing into
a situation
you don't
want to
God rules
over that.
He rules
over the
decisions that
come against
you.
He rules
over the
troubles that
you experience.
He rules
over the
health problems
that come to
you.
He rules
over everything
that you
face.
God does
not promise
life is going
to be easy
for the
Christian.
In fact
he was
telling Daniel
things are
going to get
a whole lot
more tough
before they
get better.
But when
we face
into
difficulties
God is
saying this
don't
panic
don't
panic
God
rules
all of
history.
So
God
knows
all of
history
God
rules
all of
history
and
third
Daniel
sees
a
God
who
ends
all
of
history.
What's
clear from
Daniel's
vision
is that
the world
is going
to get
a lot
more
worse
before
it does
get any
better.
Look back
to what
he has
seen in
the vision
so far.
We had
the ram
didn't we
in verse
three
which
represented
the
Persian
empire.
Then
in
verse
five
came
the
goat
which
was
the
Greek
empire
that
overtook
the
Persian
empire.
And
when
Alexander
the
Great
died
that
first
great
leader
of
the
Greek
empire
the
Greek
empire
was
then
split
into
four
smaller
kingdoms.
Look
at
verse
nine.
Out
of one
of them
so out
of one
of these
smaller
four
kingdoms
came
another
horn
another
leader
which
started
small
but grew
in power
to the
south
and to
the east
and towards
the beautiful
land.
The beautiful
land was
the land
of God's
people of
Israel.
So who
is this
new leader
that's going
to arise
from one
of these
smaller
kingdoms?
Well
before we
find out
who he
is
let's
see
what
he
does.
He
will
do
two
things.
The
first
thing
he
will
crush
the
people
of
God.
Verse
10
he
will
crush
the
people
of
God.
Look
at
verse
10.
It
grew
until
it
reached
the
host
of
the
heavens
and
it
threw
some
of
the
starry
hosts
down
to
the
earth.
That's
a
reference
there
to
God's
people.
He
threw
the
starry
host
down
to
the
earth
and
trampled
on
them.
This
leader
who
was
to
come
would
inflict
great
pain
and
kill
the
people
of
God.
But that's
not all
he would
do.
He
would
also
replace
the
worship
of
God.
Look
at
verse
11.
God
it
set
itself
up
to
be
as
great
as
the
prince
of
the
host.
In
other
words
he
saw
himself
as
God.
It
took
away
the
daily
sacrifice
from
him.
Took
away
the
worship
of
God
and
the
place
of
his
sanctuary
was
brought
low.
He
was
going
to
crush
the
people
of
God
and
replace
the
worship
of
God.
Verse
13.
Then I
heard a
holy
one
speaking
and
another
holy
one
said
to
me
how
long
will
it
take
for
the
vision
to
be
fulfilled?
How
long
are
God's
people
going
to
have
to
suffer
under
this
ruler
until
it's
all
over?
How
long
are
they
going
to
have
to
live
with
this
terrible
suffering?
Verse
14.
He
said
to
me
it
will
take
2,300
evenings
and
mornings
then
the
sanctuary
will
be
reconsecrated.
In other
words this
new leader
that's going
to come
will rule
for a set
number of
days
known
only by
God
but then
his end
will come.
you're
going
to have
to live
through
it
but then
the
end
will
come.
So
who
is
this
leader?
We've
seen
what
he
will
do
but
who
is
he?
Well
history
records
for us
in
Greek
and
again
you
can
go
and
check
out
your
history
books
for
this
history
records
for us
a
Greek
leader
that
came
from
this
kingdom
in the
south
one of
these
smaller
kingdoms
his name
was
Antiochus
he
ruled
for about
ten years
from
175
to
164
BC
and
here's
what we
know
about
him
on
the
coins
he
had
his
own
head
his
own
face
printed
on
it
with
the
title
epiphanies
which
means
God's
representative
on
earth
in
other
words
he
took
the
place
of
God
he
sought
to
replace
anything
to
do
with
God
he
set
himself
up
as
being
greater
than
the
prince
of
the
host
that
we
read
about
listen
to
what
was
recorded
during
the
time
of
his
rule
this
comes
from
a
secular
historian
and
this
is
what
was
recorded
he
commanded
that
this
should
happen
to
God's
people
he
said
the
observance
of
all
Jewish
that's
ordinances
all the
things
all the
worship
of
God's
people
was
prohibited
on
pain
of
death
in
every
town
in
Judea
sacrifice
was to
be
offered
to
the
heathen
gods
overseers
were sent
everywhere
to see
that the
royal command
was carried
out
where the
people did
not comply
willingly
they were
obliged
to do
so
by force
once a
month
a check
was made
and whoever
was found
with a
scroll
of the
Torah
or that
is if
they had
a part
of
scripture
in their
homes
they were
put
to
death
what
Daniel saw
in his
vision
all those
years
before
became
true
Antiochus
crushed
God's
people
and he
replaced
the worship
of God
it's
recorded
that over
a period
of three
days
up to
80,000
of God's
people
were either
killed
or sold
into
slavery
what
Daniel
saw
became
a reality
no wonder
he felt
so ill
that he
couldn't
get out
of bed
with what
was to
come
look at
verse 23
in the
latter part
of the
reign
here
it's
talking
about
the
Greek
empire
and
those
four
smaller
kingdoms
in the
latter
part
of their
reign
when
rebels
have
become
completely
wicked
a
stern
faced
king
that
was
Antiochus
a
master
of
intrigue
will
arise
he
will
become
very
strong
but
not
by
his
own
power
he
will
cause
astounding
devastation
and he
will
succeed
in
whatever
he
does
he
will
destroy
the
mighty
men
and
the
holy
people
that's
God's
people
he
will
cause
deceit
to
prosper
and
he
will
consider
himself
superior
when
they
that's
God's
people
feel
secure
he
will
destroy
many
and
take
his
stand
against
the
prince
of
princes
he
will
take
his
stand
against
God
it
was
a
horrific
time
in
history
for
God's
people
but
why
do
we
have
in
chapter
8
why
have
we
got
500
years
of
horrible
history
all
explained
to us
here
why
has
Daniel
been
given
a
glimpse
into
the
future
of
how
difficult
and
terrible
it
will
be
well
I
think
it's
here
to
remind
us
as
it
would
remind
Daniel
that
we
live
in
a
world
where
nations
leaders
and
their
laws
are
continually
in
opposition
to
God
and
God's
people
it's
here
to
remind
us
that
when
we
wake
up
in
the
morning
and
you
go
to
work
or
you
go
to
college
or
you
go
out
with
your
friends
we
go
into
a
place
that
has
replaced
God
with
the
worship
of
other
things
and
other
people
we
go
into
a
world
that's
hostile
because
the world
has
and it
always
will be
a
difficult
place
to live
as a
Christian
we
will
to
some
degree
or
another
face
hostility
the line
that's
in that
song
that says
follow
Jesus
and all
your
problems
will
disappear
it's
really
not
true
become
a
Christian
and you
will
have
a lot
of
problems
because
we
live
in a
hostile
world
so how
can
I
like
Daniel
knowing
the
trouble
that
we
face
get
up
every
single
day
and
go
to my
place
of
work
go
to
my
college
socialize
with
my
friends
how
can
I
face
into
that
knowing
that
things
are
not
only
tough
but
that
things
are
going
to
get
worse
and
more
difficult
well
look at
verse 25
let's
read
verse 25
again
he
will
cause
deceit
to
prosper
he
will
consider
himself
superior
when
they
feel
secure
he
will
destroy
many
and
take
a
stand
against
the
prince
of
princes
yet
he
will
be
destroyed
but
not
by
human
power
there's
our
hope
contained
in that
little
sentence
he
will
be
destroyed
but
not
by
human
power
Daniel's
vision
is
telling
us
that
one
day
just
as
there
would
be
an
end
to
the
hostility
of
Antiochus
there
will
be
an
end
to
all
hostility
of
God's
people
and
that
end
will
come
not
by
human
power
not
by
the
might
of
some
leader
or
some
nation
or
some
church
or
some
anybody
but
by
God's
power
and
through
his
son
the
Lord
Jesus
God
will
one
day
end
all
of
history
listen
to
the
words
of
Jesus
and
what
he
promised
about
the
end
no
need
to
look
them
up
they
come
from
Mark
13
but
I
want
us
to
listen
to
these
words
as
we
close
these
are
the
words
of
Jesus
spoken
to
his
followers
and
they're
words
that
continue
to
speak
to
us
today
listen
to
Jesus
speak
to
our
lives
when
you
hear
of
wars
and
rumors
of
wars
do
not
be
alarmed
such
things
must
happen
but
the
end
is
still
to
come
nation
will
rise
against
nation
and
kingdom
against
kingdom
you
must
be on
your
guard
you
must
be
on
your
guard
you
will
be
handed
over
to
the
local
councils
and
be
flogged
in
the
synagogues
in
other
words
you
will
face
hostility
you
will
face
trouble
in
life
on
account
of
me
you
will
stand
before
governors
and
kings
as
witnesses
to
them
and
the
gospel
must
first
be
preached
to
all
nations
we
continue
to
preach
the
gospel
in
the
midst
of
great
hostility
so
be
on
your
guard
I
have
told
you
everything
ahead
of
time
but
in
those
days
following
that
distress
following
all
the
hostilities
hostility
and
struggle
will
one
day
be
gathered
up
by
the
risen
Lord
Jesus
and
will
be
brought
into
his
eternal
kingdom
be
on
your
guard
do
not
be
afraid
I
am
with
you
says
the
Lord
and
until
the
end
comes
the
gospel
must
be
preached
to
see
many
more
people
come
to
faith
in
Christ
let's
pray
together
Father
we
cannot
even
get
our
heads
around
one
single
day
of
our
life
and
all
that
happens
to
us
from
the
moment
we
wake
to
the
moment
that
we
sleep
but
here
before
us
in
your
word
we
have
history
laid
out
before
us
with
such
precision
and
such
detail
and
we
stand
back
amazed
at
the
Lord
of
history
the
one
who
knows
the
beginning
to
the
end
the
one
who
rules
over
every
event
and
every
detail
and
the
one
who
will
one
day
come
again
and
end
history
as
we
know
it
Father
help
us
to
be
on
our
guard
help
us
when
we
waken
tomorrow
morning
and
we're
afraid
of what
we
will
face
in
the
coming
week
anxious
of
the
things
that
are
going
to
happen
help
us
to
look
afresh
to
the
Lord
of
history
to
get
up
to
go
to
work
to
go
to
college
to
go
out
with
our
friends
in
confidence
that
our
God
reigns
and
rules
and
that
our
life
with
him
is
completely
in
his
hands
Father
would
you
please
give
to
your
people
to
us
here
today
opportunity
to
share
the
good
news
of
Jesus
the
Lord
of
history
we
pray
that
yet
many
people
might
be a
part
of
that
great
number
that
you
gather
to
yourself
on
the
last
day
help
us
we
praise
you
we
worship
you
for
you
are
great
amen
we
are
going
to
sing
a
great
song
a
great
hymn
that
reminds
us
that
our
future
is
secure
heroes
and
importante
we
can
wait