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CHAPTER FOUR

A Victorious Goat and Its Evil Little Horn

Next to Daniel 11:2-35, the vision of the Ram and the Goat in Daniel is the least disputed of the four remaining visions. Here too, futuristic interpreters concede the author's focus is on Antiochus Epiphanes and his persecution of the Jews. But even though futurists recognize fulfillment of the vision in Antiochus, they attempt to apply it to tribulationism by claiming 'dual' fulfillment. This chapter will demonstrate that the vision of the Ram and the Goat finds its only literal fulfillment from 334-164 B.C. Furthermore, once the events of Daniel 8 are established, and their correspondence with Daniel 11:2-35 is confirmed, the contextual foundation will be laid for an analysis of the four controversial visions.

Conquest and Division of Alexander's Greek Empire

I looked up and saw a ram standing beside the river. It had two horns. Both horns were long, but one was longer than the other, and the longer one came up second. I saw the ram charging westward and northward and southward. All beasts were powerless to withstand it, and no one could rescue from its power; it did as it pleased and became strong. As I was watching a male goat appeared from the west, coming across the face of the whole earth without touching the ground. The goat had a horn between its eyes. It came toward the ram with the two horns that I had seen standing beside the river and it ran at it with savage force. I saw it approaching the ram. It was enraged against it and struck the ram breaking its two horns. The ram did not have power to withstand it; it threw the ram down to the ground and trampled upon it, and there was no one who could rescue the ram from its power. (Daniel 8:3-7)

Daniel's vision depicts a battle between a two-horned ram and a goat with one great horn. The ram is very powerful. But the goat is even more powerful, and defeats the ram, "breaking its two horns." The two horns of the ram represent the kingdoms of Media and Persia. The goat represents Greece and the horn between its eyes represents Alexander the Great. The battle depicted is part of the Persian Wars (334-331 B.C.). In these battles, Alexander crushed Persian domination in the East and established the world's largest empire. (cf. Daniel 11:2,3)
Then the male goat grew exceedingly great; but at the height of its power, the great horn was broken, and in its place there came up four prominent horns toward the four winds of heaven. (Daniel 8:8)

After its victory the goat "grew exceedingly great." The great horn was "broken" with Alexander's death at Babylon in 323 B.C. In place of the great horn, "there came up four prominent horns toward the four winds of heaven," referring to the four major divisions of the Greek Empire among Alexander's generals. (cf. Daniel 11:3, 4)

Antiochus, the "Little Horn"

Out of one of them came another horn, a little one, which grew exceedingly great toward the south, toward the east, and toward the beautiful land. It grew as high as the host of heaven. It threw down some of the stars, and trampled on them. Even against the prince of the host it acted arrogantly; it took the regular burnt offering away from him and overthrew the place of his sanctuary. Because of wickedness, the host was given over to it together with the regular burnt offering; it cast truth to the ground, and kept prospering in what it did. (Daniel 8:9-12)

At Daniel 8:9 the vision fast-forwards to the author's contemporary era, focusing on a "little horn" that arises from one of the four Greek divisions. All interpreters, including futurists, agree the "little horn" represents Antiochus Epiphanes. Walvoord, commenting on Daniel 8:9-10, says these conquest are, "confirmed in the history of Syria, especially under Antiochus Epiphanes ..." [1]

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NOTES

  1. John F. Walvoord, Daniel: The Key to Prophetic Revelation, (Chicago: Moody Press, 1974), p. 185. Return