Daniel 8:20

Daniel 8:20 says, The ram which thou sawest having two horns are the kings of Media and Persia.  Gabriel begins to give Daniel the interpretation of the horns that he saw. He said the two horns were the Medes and the Persians.  That was a specific interpretation of what the two horns represented.  If we are given a specific interpretation of what God means when He speaks to us, by whatever method, then we don't need to be concerned about what else might be implied.  Sometimes, we have to interpret what the Bible means in a specific passage.  Hopefully we will do this under the leadership of the Holy Spirit.  Verse twenty-one adds, And the rough goat is the king of Grecia: and the great horn that is between his eyes is the first king. Daniel was told that the rough goat represented Greece.  Matthew Henry says that the great horn represented Alexander the Great.  He was indeed a great ruler and conquered most of the known world.  Verse twenty-two continues, Now that being broken, whereas four stood up for it, four kingdoms shall stand up out of the nation, but not in his power.  The great horn was broken in to four parts, none as powerful as the original.  Verse twenty-three declares, And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall stand up.  Matthew Henry says this refers to Antiochus.  He states, "Concerning Antiochus, and his oppression of the Jews. This is said to be in the latter time of the kingdom of the Greeks, when the transgressors are come to the full (Dan 8:23); that is, when the degenerate Jews have filled up the measure of their iniquity, and are ripe for this destruction, so that God cannot in honour bear with them any longer then shall stand up this king, to be flagellum Dei - the rod in God's hand for the chastising of the Jews."  I believe that the message for us today is that above all else we cannot afford to pervert God's word to fulfill our own desires, because judgment is coming.  Verse twenty-four adds, And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power: and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practise, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people.  This ruler would be mighty and destroy the holy people, those who put their faith in God.  He will also have allies who assist him in his wielding of power, even some of those who are God's people in name only.  There are always those who will ally themselves with those in power simply to gain as much as they can for themselves.  Verse twenty-five continues, And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes; but he shall be broken without hand.  He will gain this power through deceit and trickery.  For the promise of peace people will willingly give up their rights.  We should never surrender our freedom through Christ simply to live at peace in the world.  We must stand for what is right in the eyes of God, no matter the cost.  This ruler would think himself capable of standing up to the Prince of pinces, because he had magnified himself in his heart.  He would not be broken by any other person, but would fall into the hands of God, and would die a miserable death.  Verse twenty-six says, And the vision of the evening and the morning which was told is true: wherefore shut thou up the vision; for it shall be for many days.  Daniel was instructed to not share the vision yet, though it would come to pass.  Matthew Henry says this is because it foretold the destruction of Persia, which was soon to defeat the Chaldeans.  This could have led to the punishment or destruction of the Jews.  God's prophecy is always to be shared at the correct time.  Verse twenty-seven adds, And I Daniel fainted, and was sick certain days; afterward I rose up, and did the king’s business; and I was astonished at the vision, but none understood it.  Daniel fainted and was sick for number of days, then he rose up and did the kings business.  Daniel could have felt that since Belshazzar was soon to be defeated that it was senseless to continue to do his business, but he didn't.  We likewise must be about the King's business today, and not let the prophecies of the coming return of Christ keep us from doing His work.  Even though we know the ultimate outcome, we are not exempted from witnessing and working for God.