Our scripture reading for this evening, to which I invite you to turn with me at this time, is found once again in the Old Testament prophecy of Daniel. This evening we turn to Daniel chapter eight. In the Old Testament, after the books of Job, Psalms, Proverbs, you'll soon come to the so-called major prophecy of Daniel. And I will be making some reference to the bit of the context this evening, especially if you have not been with us recently in our study of Daniel, that might prove helpful to you. But at this time, we begin reading in Daniel 8, verse 1, and we read to the end of the chapter, again, praying and pleading for the Holy Spirit's illumination to be upon the reading and preaching of this portion of God's Word. Daniel 8, beginning in the first verse, let us hear then the Word of the Lord. 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. 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 toward 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 toward 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. In its place, four prominent horns grew up toward 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 toward 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. and 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 underfoot. He said to me, it will take 2,300 evenings and mornings. Then the sanctuary will be reconsecrated. While I, Daniel, was watching the vision and trying to understand it, there before me stood one who looked like a man. I heard a man's voice from the ulai 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 concerns the time of the end. While he was speaking to me, I was in a deep sleep with my face to the ground. And 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 concerns 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. Thus far, the reading of God's holy word. And as always, brothers and sisters, I ask and urge you to keep your Bibles open and handy as you look to God's word together this evening. Dear congregation of Jesus Christ, over the course of my nearly 35 years of pastoral ministry here at Pompton Plains, I don't believe that I have ever begun a sermon by saying something which I should have said, but neglected to say in a previous message. But that is exactly what I'm going to do tonight. And in God's providence, all of you are here to witness history in the making. And I will explain to you to what I am making reference. If you were with us last Lord's Day evening, you may recall that we considered together the vision of Daniel chapter seven. And I would like you to turn there and just start skimming that over. So hopefully some of the themes, the insights, the details come back before your heart and your mind. Here in Daniel 7, we considered very carefully this vision Daniel had of four beasts arising out of the sea. And each of those beasts represented a successive earthly kingdom. We considered the lion, the bear, the leopard, and a fourth terrifying and frightening beast. Well, after the service, as I was greeting many of you in the narthex, R.J. came up to me and he said, what about the bear? And I said, what about the bear? And he said, well, in your message tonight, he said you explained that the bear was not Russia, but you didn't tell us who the bear was. And with that, Gus came up to me and he said, I agree. He said, I thought I fell asleep for a few minutes and missed who the bear was. You didn't tell us about the bear. Well, as I was prayerfully pondering the statements and sentiment of those two brothers this week, the Lord brought to my mind Deuteronomy 19, verse 18, which says, excuse me, Deuteronomy 19, verse 15, which says, one witness is not enough to convict a man accused of any crime or offense he may have committed. A matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses. Well, I had my two witnesses. In fact, over the week, folks were saying I was reviewing my notes. You didn't tell us about the bear. So I'm going to tell you about the bear. If you'll turn back to Daniel 7 with me, you'll recall that the lion represented the Babylonian empire. The bear is spoken of in Daniel 7, verse 5, where we read, and there before me was a second beast, which looked like a bear. It was raised up on one of its sides. It had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth. It was told, get up and eat your fill of flesh. And that's where I failed you. I did not expound upon that. Well, in my excellent NIV study Bible here, there's a footnote commenting on the bear, and it says it better than I can say it, and so I'm just gonna read this to you. It says, the bear raised up on one of its sides, and here we go, refers to the superior status of the Persians in the Medo-Persian Federation. The bear referred to the kingdom of the Medes and Persians. The reason it was raised up on one side was because the Persians were dominant in that political federation. The three ribs may represent the three principal conquests of that kingdom. Lydia in 546 B.C., Babylon in 539 B.C., and Egypt in 525 B.C. That is who the bear was, that is who the bear represented, and I truly believe that in God's providence I didn't refer to that last week. Because as I began studying this week, Daniel chapter 8, we meet the bear once again. Only we meet the bear in a different form. But the bear is critically important as he reappears now in Daniel's vision of the ram. the goat, and the time of the end." The ram, the goat, and the time of the end. Now then, as we begin working our way through Daniel chapter 8, and by the way, we mentioned this in one of the earlier studies. I can't believe we're up to the 12th study in Daniel already. You may recall that starting in a few verses in the second chapter, Daniel changed to writing in Aramaic. Here in Daniel 8 he reverts to Hebrew because these verses till the end of the book have special application and implications for the people of God. And so we're going to look now at Daniel chapter 8 by first of all considering Daniel's vision of a ram. Daniel's vision of a ram. Look at Daniel 8 verse 1 with me if you would please. Here we read. in the third year of King Belshazzar's reign. Now, if you have not been with us, I just inform you that King Belshazzar served as a vice-regent under his father, King Nabonidus. And the fact that this is in the third year of King Belshazzar's reign means it was two years after the vision of the prior chapter in Daniel chapter 7. Also, please recall with me that what we are reading of here in Daniel 8, just as was true for Daniel chapter 7, even though these accounts are later in the prophecy of Daniel, they occur chronologically in history prior to what we read in Daniel chapter 5 concerning the handwriting on the wall, which we have studied previously. In the third year of King Belshazzar's reign, I, Daniel, had a vision, after the one that had already appeared to me, the one in chapter 7. In my vision, I saw myself... Now realize, he is not transported to where he's about to reference. He's visioning this, he's envisioning that he is there. He says, in my vision, I saw myself in the citadel of Susa in the province of Elam. Susa was to become the capital of the Persian Empire. It was located about 230 miles or so east of Babylon. He saw himself in this vision in the citadel of Susa in the province of Elam. In the vision, I was beside the Ulai Canal. The Ulai Canal was a canal which connected two rivers which both flowed into the Persian Gulf. And so you can kind of see the area of the world in which we are referencing. I looked up, and there before me was a ram with two horns. standing beside the canal, and the horns were long. Notice this, one of the horns was longer than the other, but grew up later. I watched the ram as he charged toward the west and the north and the south. Now friends, as I was prayerfully studying this text, I said to myself, well, he charged toward the west and the north and the south, why didn't he charge toward the east? Well, the reason is because he came from the east. His back was toward the east. And this is a critically important point. If you're taking notes, jot down Isaiah 41 verse 2. You're not allowed to look at it. You can't turn there. You can't do that yet. But jot down Isaiah 41 verse 2 because it says he came from the east. And so he's charging toward 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 by this point, we're all going, well, what in the world is this all about the ram? Who was the ram? Well, we're gonna stop there for a moment because we're gonna allow scripture to interpret scripture and drop down with me now to verse 15 of Daniel chapter eight, where the Bible starts explaining the meaning of this vision. Verse 15, while I, Daniel, was watching the vision and trying to understand it, there before me stood one who looked like a man. I looked it up in the Hebrew because the normal word for man is Adam. That's where we get the name Adam from. But it's not the name Adam. It's the name Geber. G-I-B-B-E-R is how you would transliterate it. And Geber refers to a very strong man. John Calvin, the great reformer, thinks that this was a reference to our Lord Jesus Christ. We can't know for sure, but that's what some of the interpreters believe. And I heard a man's voice from the Uli calling, Gabriel, tell this man the meaning of this vision. Friends, it's interesting to note that only in the entire Old Testament, only in the book of Daniel are angels given names. And the two angels named in the book of Daniel are Gabriel and Michael. And here we read of the angel Gabriel again being named. 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, very interesting, understand that the vision concerns the time of the end. Notice that particular phraseology, the time of the end. Notice too this reference to the son of man. It's interesting that in the prophecy of Ezekiel, Ezekiel is referenced as the Son of Man some 93 times. Throughout the rest of the Old Testament, the only time the Son of Man is used as a title is in the book of Daniel. And it's used here in reference to Daniel, and it's used in Daniel 7.13 in reference to Christ. But our text continues. Verse 18, look with me please. While he was speaking to me, I was in a deep sleep. The Hebrew could almost be interpreted to mean he actually fainted and he was on the ground, but be that as it may, 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. This is a reference to God's wrath. Because the vision concerns the appointed time of the end. Notice again that particular terminology, the time of the end. The two-horned ram, and here we go, the two-horned ram that you saw represents the kings of Media and Persia. Remember that one horn was longer than the other, just as the bear was raised up on one side as opposed to the other. Because that's a reference that the Persians were dominant in that Media-Persian affederation. The two-horned ram that you saw represents the kings of Media and Persia. And friends, essentially, that is what we need to know about the ram as of right now. That's all we need to know about the ram as of right now. But there's a lot more in our text, is there not? And that is why we're going to go on secondly and very carefully and prayerfully consider the vision of the goat, the vision of the goat. Drop down to verse five of Daniel eight with me, if you would, please. Oh, and by the way, I need to I need to give you the insight on you wrote down, hopefully, Isaiah 41 verse verse 12, excuse me, Isaiah 41, verse two. Guess who that was? It was the king of Medea, Persia, who was Cyrus. That was Cyrus. Cyrus was used of God, remember, to issue the decree that his people could return to the promised land. And if you have a study Bible and you turn to Isaiah 41, verse two, the footnote is gonna tell you that that is a reference to Cyrus. He was the one who came, literally the Bible says, he came from the east and he went into those other directions. So I just, now we can know that. All right, but now secondly, we're gonna go to verse five and consider the vision of the goat. Daniel says, as I was thinking about this, suddenly a goat with a prominent horn between his eyes. Boys and girls, I picture him kind of as a unicorn at that point. 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 particular king and kingdom conquered the Medes and Persians in less than three years. And so it was an incredibly rapidly moving military force. He came crossing the whole earth, as it were, without touching the ground. He came toward the two-horned ram, the kingdom of the Medes and Persians, that I had seen standing beside the canal, and charged at him in great rage. I saw him attack the ram furiously, striking the ram, 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. Stay with me. As in the king of Greece, Alexander the Great. That's who we're talking about now concerning this goat. We're talking about Alexander the Great and the kingdom of Greece. The goat became very great. But at the height of his power, his large horn was broken off. Do you recall, we studied previously, that Alexander the Great died very unexpectedly at the height of his power when he was just 33 years of age. There was some question as to how he died, but most commentators believe he died of malaria, and he died in Babylon, and he died in the year 323 B.C. The horn, if you will, was broken off. Alexander the Great died at the very heart of his power, but the text continues, and in its place, four prominent horns grew up toward the four winds of heaven. Now, what in the world does that mean? Well, the Bible, again, is its own interpreter. Let's go down to verse 21. Verse 21, speaking of the goat. The shaggy goat is the king of Greece. And the large horn between his eyes is the first king. Namely, Alexander the Great. Alexander the Great. Verse 22. 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. Did you know that when Alexander the Great died, his kingdom was divided among four of his generals, historically? And this is being prophesied almost 200 years before that even happened. In fact, if you're taking notes, I'll share with you the four kingdoms that arose from that single horn, as it were. We had Macedonia and Greece under the kingship of Cassander. Macedonia and Greece under the kingship of Cassander. The second kingdom was Thrace and Asia Minor under Lysimachus. Thrace and Asia Minor under Lysimachus. The third kingdom was Syria under Seleucus. Syria under Seleucus. And the fourth kingdom was Palestine and Egypt under Ptolemy. Friends, that essentially is what we need to know about the goat thus far per se. There's more to it that we're going to go on to, but that's all we need to know right now about the goat per se. But notice in verses 9 and following, we learn that out of those four horns, those four kingdoms, Out of those four horns, the Bible said, which grew out of the goat, came another horn, which grew to great prominence. And we're going to consider that critical horn, which grew out of the prior four and grew to great prominence under the heading of the time of the end, the time of the end. Now then, look with me if you would at verse nine, as the Bible begins making commentary on that particular point. That single horn, verse nine. Out of one of them came another horn, which started small but grew in power to the south and to the east and toward the beautiful land. I asked myself, what is the beautiful land? To what does the beautiful land refer? So you start studying the scriptures. This is what I found. In Psalm 48 verse two, Psalm 48 verse two, Mount Zion is referred to as being beautiful in its loftiness. In Ezekiel 20, verse 6, Israel is referenced as a land flowing with milk and honey, the most beautiful of all lands. In Jeremiah 3, verse 19, we read of Israel, the most beautiful inheritance of any nation, and so on. So we're speaking here of Israel. We're speaking of Palestine. We're speaking of the promised land. Out of one of them came another power to the south and to the east and toward the beautiful land. He's got his eyes set on Israel. It grew until it reached the host of the heavens and it threw some of the starry hosts down to the earth and trampled on them. Now again, brothers and sisters, I'm studying this. I'm saying, what in the world? What were the starry hosts being referenced here that are cast to the earth and trampled down? Well, you study the Scriptures, and here's what I found. Recall with me, if you would please, that in Genesis 15, verse 5, God told Abram that his offspring would be as numerous as what? As the stars in the sky. In Jeremiah 33, verse 22, God promises that He would make the descendants of David, My servant, and the Levites who minister before Me as countless as the stars of the sky. And if you're in Daniel with me, and I hope you are, flip over a few pages to the right, please, to Daniel 12, verse 3, and notice what we read. In Daniel 12, verse 3, we read, Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens. And those who lead many to righteousness notice like the stars forever and ever. And so when we're reading here about the stars, we're reading about God's people. And we're reading about the stars being cast down out of the heavens to the earth. We're reading about the persecution of God's people. The persecution of God's people. And so now we bring that biblical information to bear back to Daniel 8, and we pick it up in verse 11. Look with me again, please. It, that is this horn that arose, it set itself up to be as great as the prince of the hosts, as God himself. It took away, this is so critically important, please stay with me. It took away the daily sacrifice from him, and the place of his sanctuary was brought low. Please remember these descriptions. Because of rebellion, This is a reference to the rebellion of God's people, the sinfulness of God's people, their idolatry, their turning away from the true God. That is why they were in Babylon in the first place. Because of rebellion, the host of the saints and the daily sacrifice were given over to it. Critically important language. He didn't take it, it was given over to him. Please understand that and stay with me. was brought low because of the 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. Is that powerful imagery or not? Truth was thrown to the ground. Jesus said in John 17, 17, your word is truth. I'm gonna leave it at that, but remember here that this horn that arose, rebelling against God, throwing down his people, persecuting his people, Trampled on truth. Trampled on truth. Remember that? It goes on in verse 13. Then I heard a holy one speaking, and another holy one. Boys and girls, these are angels. 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 underfoot. Some of that is new information, some of it is a reference to what we just read concerning this oppression and persecution of the people of God. Verse 14, He said to me, It will take 2,300 evenings and mornings, then the sanctuary will be Reconsecrated. Now I'm studying this for you, and I'm saying to myself, what in the world does that mean? So I dropped down to verse 23. And I pick it up there. Look with me, please. In the latter part of their reign. This is a reference to those four kings that arose out of the out of the kingdom of Alexander the Great, one becoming prominent. That's what we're reading about now. 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 become very strong, brothers and sisters, as energized by Satan, but under the sovereign control and providence of God. 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. Understand that. He will cause deceit to prosper. I have a footnote here which correctly says, He was not His rise to power was by intrigue and deceit. He was not the rightful successor to the Seleucid throne. And when you know who it is, you'll understand why that is the case. I won't give his name yet. 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 man and the holy people. He will cause deceit to prosper. And he will consider himself superior When they feel secure, and the text that came to my heart and mind was 1 Thessalonians 5.3, where the Apostle Paul says, while they are saying, peace and safety, destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. When they feel secure, he will destroy many, and take his stand against the prince of princes, against God himself. Yet he will be destroyed, but not by human power. He wasn't overthrown, he wasn't assassinated, nobody killed him. God took care of him. Yet he will be destroyed, but not by human power. And you say, who in the world is being referenced here? But to show you how powerful and inspired is the word of God, please remember the specifics of what we just read. I took out my volume of Josephus, the complete works of Josephus. First century A.D. Jewish historian. And I read in Josephus, in the Antiquities of the Jews, the following. Listen carefully, please. He's commenting on Daniel chapter eight. Josephus writes here about the ram signifying the kingdoms of the Medes and Persians. He talks about the four horns which arise and the great horn which springs out of them, out of the four horns, signifying successors that should arise after the death of the first king, Alexander the Great. And then it says this, listen carefully, I'm quoting. Josephus writes, and that from among them, those four kings that came out of Alexander's empire after he died, and from among them should arise a certain king, that should overcome our nation, he's writing as a Jewish historian, that from among them should arise a certain king that should overcome our nation and their laws, and should take away our political government, and should spoil the temple, and forbid the sacrifices to be offered for three years' time. And indeed, it so came to pass that our nation suffered these things under Antiochus Epiphanes, according to Daniel's vision, and what he wrote many years before they came to pass." Antiochus, his official title was Antiochus IV, the great Greek king of the Seleucid Empire. He took the name Antiochus Epiphanes, which means God made manifest. He considered himself equal to or greater than God. He had his image imprinted on his coins, Antiochus Epiphanes. Interestingly enough, the Jews called him Antiochus Epimenes, which means the mad one, the mad one, Antiochus Epimenes. He called himself Antiochus Epiphanes. He was known as the most brutal persecutor of the Jewish people in history. He forbid sacrifices being made in the temple in Jerusalem. He forced the Jews to worship pagan gods. He decreed the death penalty for anyone who performed the rite of circumcision. And he desecrated the temple in a certain way that I will get to in just a moment, which resulted in the Maccabean Revolt. But Antiochus Epiphanes was known as the most horrific persecutor of the Jewish people. And I want you to take that information now back with me to verse 14, because it gets a little technical here. And not just for your benefit, but for mine, I am gonna try to keep this numerology as simple as possible. As I've said before, I am not a mathematician. My brain, in school, young people, my brain, it was like it didn't work in math or science and things. It just didn't function that way. But always remember, my young friends, graduates, God gifts you for what he wants you to do. What you can't do, you don't need to do to fulfill God's purpose for you. Just tuck that away. Verse 14. He said to me, the angel said to me, it will take 2,300 evenings and mornings, then the sanctuary will be reconsecrated. Now again, I'm gonna try to make this simple for all of us, and just try to stay with me. 2,300 days, roughly equivalent to six years, three months, in 18 days. 2,300 days, roughly equivalent to six years, three months, 18 days. Calvin says that's the way this should be interpreted. However, some Bible scholars point out that God's Word doesn't say 2,300 days. It says 2,300 evenings and mornings. And they say, well, if you take an evening and morning of each of the 2,300, the number 2,300, you cut it in half. You follow me? And you end up with not 2,300 days, you end up with 1,150 days. And they say the evening and morning is probably a reference to the evening and morning sacrifices. And so you don't want to go a full 2,300 days, you want to count an evening as one, a morning as one, an evening as two, three, four, and cut it in half and you have 1,150 days. Whatever the case, let us understand this. Antiochus Epiphanes, or Antiochus Epimenes, as we want to probably call him, this ram whose brutal campaign against God's people was in earnest. That campaign to persecute God's people, stay with me, and if you're taking notes, jot this down, was roughly from 171 to 164 BC. Antiochus Epiphanes persecuted the people of God, brutalized the people of God, roughly from 171 to 164 BC, and that is approximately 2,300 days. However, in the fall of 167 BC, Antiochus desecrated the temple by setting up a statue of Zeus, demanding that the Jewish people worship that statue of Zeus, and he sacrificed pigs. on the altar in the temple and you know what that meant to the Jewish people. You knew what that meant to the Jewish people. So again, he did that in the fall of 167 B.C. Judas Maccabeus was so enraged along with the other people of God that he started a campaign of guerrilla warfare against Antiochus Epiphanes. And the Jewish guerrilla warfare was exceedingly successful. And they defeated him. And they regained Jerusalem. And they reconsecrated, rededicated the temple to Yahweh, the living God, in December of 164 B.C. That is roughly 1,150 days. Some of us may know that that victory of Judas Maccabeus in the Maccabean Revolt, which regained the city of Jerusalem and reconsecrated the temple, is still celebrated by the Jews today in December. It's commemorated by the celebration of Hanukkah. That is what Hanukkah is all about. The victory of Judas Maccabeus in the Maccabean Revolt and regaining Jerusalem and reconstituting the temple. And friends, it's critically important for us now to note, if you'll drop down to verses 18 and 19 with me, and please stay with me, that that is the time reference being spoken of in verses 18 and 19 when Daniel speaks of the time of the end, the time of the end. Notice, he is not speaking of the end of time. He specifically states the time of the end, meaning the end of the wrath of God being poured out upon his people through the brutality of Antiochus Epiphanes. Now why is that so critically important for us to understand? It's important for us to understand because of our Baptist Arminian dispensational brothers and sisters who largely misunderstand this. I'm saying this with love and respect to those brothers and sisters. Listen, if you have a Schofield reference Bible, if you have dispensational friends, you talk to them about Daniel chapter eight. And they're gonna tell you that this horn which arose out of the four horns, the four kingdoms that came after Alexander the Great died is a reference to the Roman Empire and ultimately to the Antichrist. Now I have a lot of dispensationalism in me because I went to the King's College and that's largely what I was taught. Then you go on in the years and you search the scriptures. Why do they do that? Why do our dispensational friends say this is a reference not to Greece but to Rome? And it's not a reference to Antiochus Epiphanes, it's a reference to the Antichrist. Why do they say that? One key reason. Our dispensational brothers and sisters combined interpretation on, look with me, at Daniel 7, verse 20, that little horn that grew up and conquered the three horns before him and all that kind of stuff. Notice in verse 19 that that horn came out of the fourth beast. We learn, brothers and sisters, in Daniel chapter 7, the fourth beast is a reference to the Roman Empire and the Caesars, who were a type and figure of Antichrist. But friends, they equate that horn with this little horn that is spoken of in Daniel 8, verses 23 and following, but that came out of Alexander the Great's kingdom and the four kingdoms which succeeded him. It's the third kingdom, not the fourth kingdom. But because they conflate the two, they conclude erroneously that this is talking about Rome and the Antichrist. And John Calvin himself, I wrote down his quote, because he's the one that sort of tipped me off on that was where they were making the mistake. Calvin says, and I'm quoting, this flies in the very face of the authority of Scripture itself. The Bible is its own interpreter. We are not talking about Rome here. We're talking about Greece. Now again, this is not to say that Antiochus Epiphanes was not a type of the Antichrist. Luther himself said that he was a type of the Antichrist. And indeed he was, just as were the Roman Caesars. That's not who's being referenced here specifically, the Roman Empire. It's talking about the Greece Empire, and yes, Antiochus Epiphanes was in fact a type or figure of the Antichrist. And so friends, when you read in this chapter, the time of the end, Remind yourself, this is not a reference to the end of time. It is a reference to the time of the end. It is a period of time prior to leading up to the coming of the Messiah, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Not a reference to the time post-Messiah going into the end of time. It's preparing the way for what theologians call that 400 years of silence, that period of intertestamentary silence biblically. About 100 plus years or so where this leaves off It's silence from God's Word. But it's all looking forward to the coming of Christ, who is the King of kings and Lord of lords. He is the one who said, I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except by me. The time of the end ends before the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, critically important. Friends, speaking of time, and young people, listen to this. Speaking of time, I'm gonna read this so I don't misspeak. Listen to this, please. Daniel here in chapter eight, my young friends, is prophesying concerning Greece and Alexander the Great events which occurred more than 200 years after Daniel lived. Think of that. And then Daniel is prophesying about Antiochus Epiphanes and his reign of terror which occurred some 150 years after Alexander the Great. which means that here in God's Word, Daniel is prophesying some 350 years of history which had not happened yet, but to its very detail was subsequently confirmed and affirmed by historians. God's Word is true. Think about that. And friends, that is why I rejoice to read in 2 Peter 1, verses 20 and 21, 2 Peter 1, 20 and 21, above all, You must understand that no prophecy of scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man. But men spoke from God as they were carried along, as they were born along, as they were inspired by the Holy Spirit. We need to believe this book. We need to rest in this book. We need to build our lives upon this book. It is the Holy Spirit-inspired, inerrant, infallible word of the living God. And even though we read at the close of our text, look with me please at Daniel 8 verses 26 and 27, 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. And even though we read, I Daniel was exhausted and lay ill for several days. He couldn't imagine what all this meant. He was looking 300 plus years into the future. I Daniel was exhausted and lay ill for several days. Then I got up and went about the king's business. He went back to work. I was appalled by the vision. It was beyond understanding. And even though Daniel wrote that under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, now we know, now we know, looking back in time, this was a prophecy which God gave to his people to encourage them to persevere in the midst of growing persecution, It was a prophecy which he gave to God's people to assure them that in the end, the kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ would conquer. And he gave his people this prophecy so that they would not simply trust him and believe in him and live for him till the time of the end, but that you and I, brothers and sisters, would believe in him and trust him and live for him, literally, until the end of time. Amen. Let's bow our heads and our hearts together in prayer. Oh, our mighty God and most merciful Heavenly Father. Some 3,000 years ago, the sacred psalmist Asaph penned the words, Oh God, the nations have invaded your inheritance. They have defiled your holy temple. They have reduced Jerusalem to rubble. They have given the dead bodies of your servants as food to the birds of the air, the flesh of your saints to the beasts of the earth. They have poured out blood like water all around Jerusalem, and there is no one to bury the dead. We are objects of reproach to our neighbors, of scorn and derision to those around us. How long, O Lord, will you be angry forever? How long will your jealousy burn like fire? Pour out your wrath on the nations that do not acknowledge you, on the kingdoms that do not call on your name. For they have devoured Jacob and destroyed his homeland. Do not hold against us the sins of the fathers. May your mercy come quickly to meet us, for we are in desperate need. You know, Father, as we look to those numbers in this passage of 2300 or 1150, whatever they mean, you allowed your people to be persecuted, but you brought it to an end. You limited their suffering. And then you ushered in the age of the Messiah, the Mashiach, the Christos, the Christ, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, whose second coming we pray for and we plead for and we long for. And so, Father, we thank and praise you that you are a loving God, A gracious God, and a merciful God, and a forgiving God. For like ancient Israel of old, we too are a sinful, and straying, and rebellious, and disobedient people. Therefore, Father, we pray that just as you judged your people Israel in the past, and yet brought such brutal punishment under Ancantiochus Epiphanes to a pointed conclusion, as Daniel tells us, you brought it to the time of the end. So too, Father, restore us and bless us and protect us and sustain us as your people today as we go on into a future which will surely include increasing persecution for us as your people. We pray that you would bring us all safely to yourself, O God, by your grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, at the end of time. Hear us, Heavenly Father, we pray in Jesus' name and for his sake, amen.