Lesson 8 · November 22, 1902
The Vision of the Ram, the Goat, and the Little Horn
"In the third year of the reign of King Belshazzar a vision appeared unto me, even unto me Daniel, after that which appeared unto me at the first. And I saw in the vision; now it was so, that when I saw, I was in Shushan the palace, which is in the province of Elam; and I saw in the vision, and I was by the river Ulai. Then I lifted up mine eyes, and saw, and, behold, there stood before the river a ram which had two horns; and the two horns were high; but one was higher than the other, and the higher came up last. I saw the ram pushing westward, and northward, and southward; and no beasts could stand before him, neither was there any that could deliver out of his hand; but he did according to his will, and magnified himself. And as I was considering, behold, an he-goat came from the west over the face of the whole earth, and touched not the ground; and the goat had a notable horn between his eyes. And he came to the ram that had the two horns, which I saw standing before the river, and ran upon him in the fury of his power. And I saw him come close unto the ram, and he was moved with choler against him, and smote the ram, and brake his two horns; and there was no power in the ram to stand before him; but he cast him down to the ground, and trampled upon him; and there was none that could deliver the ram out of his hand. And the he-goat magnified himself exceedingly; and when he was strong, the great horn was broken; and instead of it there came up four notable horns toward the four winds of heaven. And out of one of them came forth a little horn, which waxed exceeding great, toward the south, and toward the east, and toward the glorious land. And it waxed great, even to the host of heaven; and some of the host and of the stars it cast down to the ground, and trampled upon them. Yea, it magnified itself, even to the Prince of the host; and it took away from Him the continual burnt-offering, and the place of His sanctuary was cast down. And the host was given over to it together with the continual burnt-offering through transgression; and it cast down truth to the ground, and it did its pleasure and prospered. Then I heard a holy one speaking; and another holy one said unto that certain one which spake, How long shall be the vision concerning the continual burnt-offering, and the transgression that maketh desolate, to give both the sanctuary and the host to be trodden underfoot? And he said unto me, Unto two thousand and three hundred evenings and mornings; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed [margin, "justified"]." , R. V.
Questions on the Text
- 1.When was this vision given to Daniel? How long was this after the vision of the seventh chapter?
- 2.Where were the scenes located which Daniel saw in this vision?
- 3.What did the prophet first see in his vision? How many horns did this ram have? What is said of their size? What distinction was noted between them?
- 4.What did the ram do? With what result? How is his experience described?
- 5.What next attracted attention in the vision? What special feature is mentioned about the goat?
- 6.How did the goat attack the ram?
- 7.What particulars are given of this attack? What was the result of it? Why was not the ram rescued from the fury of the goat?
- 8.What effect did this victory have upon the goat? What happened at the height of his power? What took the place of the notable horn?
- 9.What was the next step in the vision? How is the experience of this horn described?
- 10.What indicates the greatness of its self-exaltation?
- 11.How did it treat the heavenly host?
- 12.What is the climax of its self-exaltation?
- 13.How does it interfere with the established worship and the place of worship?
- 14.What was given into the power of this horn? For what reason?—"Through transgression."
- 15.How is its own course of prosperity described?
- 16.What actors are now introduced in the vision?
- 17.What inquiry did one make of the other?
- 18.What prophetic answer was made?
Notes
In the remaining part of the chapter, which will form the basis of the next lesson, the interpretation is given to the ram, the goat, and the little horn, and so any special reference to this interpretation will be omitted from this lesson. It is evident, however, that the main purpose of the vision is to set forth the rise and work of the little horn. Here the interest centers. Here the most detail of description is given. And that part of the work of the little horn which is most emphasized is its attitude toward the worship and service of God as connected with the sanctuary and its services. This attitude is plainly one of self-exaltation and of opposition to the true worship of God. This will be more fully developed in the later lessons.
The Revised Version of this chapter is used, as being in some respects more clear than the Authorized Version. The text is printed in the lessons for the benefit of any who may not have a copy of the Revised Version at hand.
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