Prophet Daniel in Augsburg Cathedral (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Lesson 8
Daniel 8:20-26
See also: Ps 24:7-8; 2 Kings 18:20; Mk 13:14; Isaiah 2:19-21; 2 Thess: 2:3
G-O-A-T
Greece v. 21 Alexander the great conquered the remaining Persian empire.
Obstruction of Nations v. 22 For decades the two-horned Media-Persia had struggled to maintain power. Then the single-horned power of Alexander the Great overcame this world order.
Ascent. V. 24 Alexander the Great conquered and succumbed. Then his generals took over. Following them were the Caesars. For Palestine this meant the rule under Seleucid or Ptolemy. Eventually Antiochus Epiphanes was to conquer.
Trampling of the Holy Place v. 24 When the Antiochus took out his wrath on the Jews he slaughtered a pig in the temple and set up an idolatrous image.
Exemplary story: A child and her grandfather took a ride in a helium filled balloon. The ride was thrilling for the little girl who had never seen her village from the air. When the basket scraped the treetop during the descent, the occupants were sent swinging in the breeze. Later the child was asked it she was scared. She said, “No, grandpa was beside me all the time.”
Historical note: Alexander the Great was the conqueror of the ancient world. Symbolically he was a single horn broken away. He was succeeded by his four generals who divided the ancient world as follows: Western provinces like Pergamon were ruled by Cassander; Macedonia was ruled by Antigone; Syria was ruled by Seleucus; Egypt was ruled by Ptolemy. Antiochus Epiphanes (175-164 BC) desecrated the temple. However, the loyal Jews fought back, and Judas Maccabaeus led the movement that restored the temple worship after a revolt in 167 BC.
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