Daniel’s Vision of the Ram and the Goat
In the third year of the reign of King Belshazzar, a vision appeared to Daniel. He saw that he was in Susa the capital and at the Ulai canal. He saw a ram standing on the bank of the canal. It had two horns, and both horns were high, but one horn was higher than the other, and the higher one came up last.
The ram was charging westward and northward and southward. No beast could stand before him, and there was no one who could rescue from his power. He did as he pleased and became great.
Then, in the vision Daniel saw a male goat that came from the west across the face of the whole earth, without touching the ground. The goat had a conspicuous horn between his eyes. He went to the ram with the two horns, and ran at him with his powerful wrath.
The goat was enraged with the ram and struck him, and broke his two horns. The ram had no power to stand before him, but he cast him down to the ground and trampled on him. There was no one who could rescue the ram from his power.
Then the goat became exceedingly great, but when he was strong, the great horn was broken, and instead of it there came up four conspicuous horns toward the four winds of heaven. Out of one of them came a little horn, which grew exceedingly great toward the south, toward the east, and toward the glorious land.
It grew great toward the host of heaven, and it threw down some of the stars and trampled them. It became as great as the Prince of the host, and the regular burnt offering was taken away from him, and the place of his sanctuary was overthrown. And a host would be given over to it together with regular burnt offering because of transgression, and it would throw truth to the ground and would act and prosper.
Then Daniel heard a holy one speaking and asked how long the vision was concerning the regular burnt offering, the transgression that made desolate, and the giving over of the sanctuary and host to be trampled underfoot. He said, “For 2,300 evenings and mornings. Then the sanctuary shall be restored to its rightful state.” -Daniel 8:14
The Interpretation of the Vision
When Daniel had seen the vision, he sought to understand it. Standing before him was what appeared to be a man, and he heard a man’s voice. It called, “Gabriel, make this man understand the vision.” So he came near where Daniel stood and he was afraid and fell on his face. Daniel was told, “Understand, O son of man, that the vision is for time of the end.”
When he had spoken to Daniel he fell into a deep sleep with his face to the ground, but he had touched him and made him stand up and said that he would make known to him the vision; for it referred to the appointed time of the end.
The Ram with two horns were the kings of Media and Persia, and the goat was the king of Greece. The great horn between his eyes was the first king. As for the horn that was broken, in place of which four others arose, four kingdoms would arise from his nation, but not with his power.
At the latter end of their kingdom, when the transgressors had reached their limit, a king of bold face, one who would understand riddles, would arise. His power would be great, but not by his own power. He would cause fearful destruction and succeed in what he would do, destroying many mighty men and the people who were saints.
By his cunning he would make deceit prosper under his hand, and in his own mind he would become great. Without warning, he would destroy many, and would even rise up against the Prince of princes, and he would be broken–but by no human hand.
This vision of the evenings and the mornings that was told was true, but Daniel was to seal it up for it referred to many days from then. Then, Daniel was overcome and lay sick for some days. When he rose, he went about the king’s business, but was appalled by the vision and did not understand it.
Daniel’s Prayer for His People
In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, who was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans, Daniel perceived in the books the number of years that, according to the word of the Lord to Jeremiah the prophet, must pass before the end of the desolations of Jerusalem. Namely, seventy years.
In this next section, Daniel turned his face to the Lord God, and sought prayer and pleas for mercy with fasting and sackcloth and ashes. I copied this entire prayer here because it sounds way too familiar with what our world is today. History continues to repeat itself, as it has done since the beginning of time, and still we choose not to listen and obey. When will we learn?
Daniel prayed to the Lord and made confession saying,
“O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, we have sinned and done wrong and acted wickedly and rebelled, turning aside from your commandments and rules. We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land.
To you, O Lord, belongs righteousness, but to us open shame, as at this day, to the men of Judah, to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to all Israel, those who are near and those who are far away, in all the lands to which you have driven them, because of the treachery that they have committed against you. To us, O Lord, belongs open shame, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against you.
To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, for we have rebelled against him and have not obeyed the voice of the Lord our God by walking in his laws, which he set before us by his servants the prophets. All Israel has transgressed your law and turned aside, refusing to obey your voice.
And the curse and oath that are written in the Law of Moses the servant of God have been poured out upon us, because we have sinned against him. He has confirmed his words, which he spoke against us and against our rulers who ruled us, by bringing upon us a great calamity.
For under the whole heaven there has not been done anything like what has been done against Jerusalem. As it is written in the Law of Moses, all this calamity has come upon us; yet we have not entreated the favor of the Lord our God, turning from our iniquities and gaining insight by your truth.
Therefore the Lord has kept ready the calamity and has brought it upon us, for the Lord our God is righteous in all the works that he has done, and we have not obeyed his voice. And now, O Lord our God, who brought your people out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand, and have made a name for yourself, as at this day, we have sinned, we have done wickedly.
O Lord, according to all your righteous acts, let your anger and your wrath turn away from your city Jerusalem, your holy hill, because of our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and your people have become a byword among all who are around us.
Now therefore, O our God, listen to the prayer of your servant and to his pleas for mercy, and for your own sake. O Lord, make your face to shine upon your sanctuary, which is desolate. O my God, incline your ear and hear. Open your eyes and see our desolations, and the city that is called by your name. For we do not present our pleas before you because of our righteousness, but because of your great mercy.
O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive. O Lord, pay attention and act. Delay not, for your own sake, O my God, because your city and your people are called by your name.” -Daniel 9:4-19
Gabriel Brings an Answer
While Daniel was speaking and praying, confessing his sin and the sin of the people of Israel, the man Gabriel who he had seen in his vision, came to him in swift flight at the time of the evening sacrifice. He made him understand saying, “O Daniel, I have now come to give you insight and understanding. As the beginning of your pleas for mercy a word went out, and I have come to tell it to you, for you are greatly loved. Therefore consider the word and understand the vision.” -Daniel 9:22-23
The Seventy Weeks
Seventy weeks were decreed about the people and the holy city, to finish the transgression and put an end to sin. They were to atone for their iniquity and bring everlasting righteousness, to seal both vision and prophet, and to anoint a most holy place.
To restore and build Jerusalem to the coming of an anointed one, a prince, would take seven weeks. Then for sixty-two weeks it would be built again with squares and moat, but in a troubled time. After the sixty-two weeks, an anointed one would be cut off and would have nothing. The people of the prince who would come, would destroy the city and the sanctuary.
Its end would come with a flood, and the end would be war. Desolations were decreed. He would make a strong covenant with many for one week, and for half of the week he would put an end to sacrifice and offering. On the wing of abominations would come one who would make desolate, until the decreed end was poured out.
Daniel’s Terrifying Vision of a Man
In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia, a word was revealed to Daniel. Daniel was in mourning for three weeks at this point. He ate no delicacies, no meat or wine, and he did not anoint himself at all in those three weeks.
On the twenty-fourth day of the first month, he was standing on the banks of the great river when he looked and saw a man clothed in linen, with a belt of fine gold around his waist. His body was like beryl, his face like the appearance of lightening, his eyes flaming torches, his arms and legs like the gleam of burnished bronze, and the sound of his words was like the sound of a multitude.
Daniel alone saw the vision, and the men who were with him did not. But, a great trembling fell upon them, and they fled to hide themselves. So Daniel was left alone and saw the great vision and heard the sound of his words. As he heard them, he fell on his face in deep sleep with his face to the ground.
A hand touched Daniel and told him he was greatly loved. He was to stand up and listen to the words, “Fear not, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand and humbled yourself before your God, your words have been heard, and I have come because of your words.” -Daniel 10:12
He was there to tell Daniel of what was to come in the latter days. After he had spoken, Daniel turned his face to the ground and was mute. Behold, one in the likeness of the children of man touched his lips, and he opened his mouth and spoke. He said that vision pains had come upon him and he had no strength.
Again one having the appearance of a man touched him and restored his strength, and said, “O man greatly loved, fear not, peace be with you; be strong and of good courage.”
He asked if Daniel knew why he had come to him and said that he would return to fight against the prince of Persia. He would go out and the prince of Greece would come. He finished with saying that inscribed in the book of truth there were none who contended by his side against them except Michael, your prince.