Dan 8:1 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.
Dan 8:2 And I saw in a vision; and it came to pass, when I saw, that I [was] at Shushan [in] the palace, which [is] in the province of Elam; and I saw in a vision, and I was by the river of Ulai.

The vision recounted. Introduction to the vision: This vision happened while Babylon was securely in power (the third year of the reign of King Belshazzar); though the vision will deal with the emergence of the Greek Empire, it was not much of anything at the time the prophecy came to Daniel. It is possible that Daniel was bodily transported to Shushan, but most think that he was merely carried there in his vision.

Dan 8:3 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.
Dan 8:4 I saw the ram pushing westward, and northward, and southward; so that no beasts might stand before him, neither [was there any] that could deliver out of his hand; but he did according to his will, and became great.

Daniel sees a mighty ram with two unequal horns, pushing west, north and south. Verse 20 plainly identifies this ram with the Medo-Persians. "Ammianus Marcellinus, a fourth century historian, states that the Persian ruler bore the head of a ram as he stood at the head of his army." (Wood) In their alliance, the larger and stronger horn (Persian) emerged after the smaller horn (Media). The Medo-Persian empire exerted its power easily to the north, south, and west; but it made little gains towards the east.

Dan 8:5 And as I was considering, behold, an he goat came from the west on the face of the whole earth, and touched not the ground: and the goat [had] a notable horn between his eyes.
Dan 8:6 And he came to the ram that had [two] horns, which I had seen standing before the river, and ran unto him in the fury of his power.
Dan 8:7 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 stamped upon him: and there was none that could deliver the ram out of his hand.
Dan 8:8 Therefore the he goat waxed very great: and when he was strong, the great horn was broken; and for it came up four notable ones toward the four winds of heaven.

Daniel sees a male goat who challenges and conquers the ram. Verses 21 and 22 clearly identify the goat with Greece, and its horns with its rulers. The first king mentioned in verse 21 must be Alexander the Great. The goat comes from the west; it can move with great speed; it seems to fly (without touching the ground). Alexander's rapid conquest of the civilized world was proverbial, and he began by defeating the Persians. And, with furious power - there was deep animosity between the Persians and the Greeks.

The conquest of Alexander, and his determination to spread Greek culture, made koine Greek the common language of the civilized world - and the language of the New Testament. Alexander's empire was eventually divided among his four leading generals: Casander, Lysimachus, Seleucus and Ptolemy. None of these generals had the same power that Alexander had (as spoken of in verse 22). So far, an amazing prophecy! (remember that Babylon is still in power).

Dan 8:9 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 pleasant [land].
Dan 8:10 And it waxed great, [even] to the host of heaven; and it cast down [some] of the host and of the stars to the ground, and stamped upon them.
Dan 8:11 Yea, he magnified [himself] even to the prince of the host, and by him the daily [sacrifice] was taken away, and the place of his sanctuary was cast down.
Dan 8:12 And an host was given [him] against the daily [sacrifice] by reason of transgression, and it cast down the truth to the ground; and it practiced, and prospered.

A strong little horn comes from the four horns of the male goat; he boasts and opposes sacrifice and truth. This "little horn" opposes and casts down the host and the stars; these are symbols used in the Old Testament for angels, kings and leaders, or the people of God at large. The stars of heaven (Genesis 12:3, 15:5) and the hosts of the Lord (Exodus 12:41) are terms used of God's people in general. "Undoubtedly it is the design here to describe the pride and ambition of [the "little horn"], and to show that he did not think anything too exalted for his aspiration."

This little horn clearly answers to Antiochus IV Epiphanes, ("illustrious") who ruled over Syria and Palestine under the Seleucid dynasty. Palestine had been a region of dispute between the dynasties of Seleucid and Ptolemy, but the Seleucids gained power over the region in the days of Antiochus Epiphanes' father, Antiochus III (198 BC). Antiochus IV took the throne by murdering his brother, the former king Seleucus Philopator. The son of Philopator was the rightful heir to the throne, but Antiochus IV had him held hostage in Rome. Antiochus legitimized his rule mainly through flattery and bribery.

Antiochus was an infamous persecutor of the Jews, whom he wanted to submit to Greek culture. Antiochus's suppression of the Jews came to a head in December of 168 BC, when returning in defeat from Alexandria, he ordered his generals to seize Jerusalem on a Sabbath. There he erected an idol of Zeus and desecrated the altar by offering swine on it, and sprinkling the broth in the sanctuary. Sacrifice was ceased because the temple was desecrated.  1 Maccabees 1:29-32 and 1:52-61 describe how Antiochus persecuted the Jews; 1:41-50 describes his blasphemies.

Because of transgression - the Jews, especially their leaders, because of their sin, invited God's judgment upon them through Antiochus. The occasion of Antiochus' first attack was to settle a rivalry for the high priesthood. A pious high priest, Onias III, was removed from office and replaced with his brother Jason, because Jason had bribed Antiochus. Then, in 172, another brother, Menelaus, gave Antiochus an even bigger bribe and replaced Jason. In 171, Menelaus started selling many of the gold utensils of the temple to raise money to pay off the bribe. Onias III rebuked him, and Menelaus had him murdered.  Meanwhile, Jason marshaled armies and tried to oust Menelaus by force; Antiochus came in 171 to defend his appointee.

Dan 8:13 Then I heard one saint speaking, and another saint said unto that certain [saint] which spoke, How long [shall be] the vision [concerning] the daily [sacrifice], and the transgression of desolation, to give both the sanctuary and the host to be trodden under foot?
Dan 8:14 And he said unto me, Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.

The duration of the sanctuary's desecration is described: 2,300 days. Many think that the nameless holy one who spoke was Jesus; but certainty is impossible. Days is more literally mornings and evenings; there is debate as to if these are 2,300 days or 1,150 days; the former seems more likely. "Year-day" schemes with this passage have ended in ruin; William Miller (head of a movement which ended up spawning the Seventh-Day Adventists and the Jehovah's Witnesses) used 2,300 "year-days" to calculate that Jesus would return in 1844 (2,300 years after Cyrus issued the decree to rebuild the temple). The date when the temple was cleansed is well established (December 25, 165 BC); counting back 2,300 days sets one in the year that persecution from Antiochus began in earnest (171 BC). Jesus Himself recognized that the temple was properly cleansed and rededicated by His attendance at the feast of lights, commemorating this event (John 10:22). This amazingly specific prophecy was written some three and one-half centuries before Antiochus.

Dan 8:15 And it came to pass, when I, [even] I Daniel, had seen the vision, and sought for the meaning, then, behold, there stood before me as the appearance of a man.
Dan 8:16 And I heard a man's voice between [the banks of] Ulai, which called, and said, Gabriel, make this [man] to understand the vision.
Dan 8:17 So he came near where I stood: and when he came, I was afraid, and fell upon my face: but he said unto me, Understand, O son of man: for at the time of the end [shall be] the vision.
Dan 8:18 Now as he was speaking with me, I was in a deep sleep on my face toward the ground: but he touched me, and set me upright.
Dan 8:19 And he said, Behold, I will make thee know what shall be in the last end of the indignation: for at the time appointed the end [shall be].

The vision is interpreted. The angel Gabriel appears to Daniel, to interpret the vision. Gabriel's message: this refers to the time of the end, to the latter time of the indignation. Some have said that this only means the end of Antiochus' terror against the Jews; but these terms are not customarily used in that fashion. The prophecy is fulfilled in Antiochus; yet it also has a later fulfillment in the Antichrist, referring to the time of the end. Antiochus is sometimes called the "antichrist of the Old Testament"; he certainly prefigures the Antichrist of the end times. "From what Antiochus did to Jews in his day, therefore, one may know the general pattern of what the Antichrist will do to them in the future." "Greece with all its refinement, culture and art, produced the Old Testament Anti-Christ while the so called Christian nations produce the New Testament Anti-Christ."

Some see this Antiochus/Antichrist connection, and some do not. Luther: "This chapter in Daniel refers both to Antiochus and Antichrist." Calvin: "Hence Luther, indulging his thoughts too freely, refers this passage to the masks of Antichrist".  The Jews called his blasphemous offering "the abomination of desolation," and it serves as a type of a future abomination set up in the Jerusalem sanctuary in the last days. Antiochus, because of his arrogance, blasphemy, and persecution of the Jews is one of a few types of Antichrist in the Bible: Cain, Nimrod, Antiochus, and Herod.

Dan 8:20 The ram which thou sawest having [two] horns [are] the kings of Media and Persia.

The ram is said to be the Medo-Persian empire.

Dan 8:21 And the rough goat [is] the king of Grecia: and the great horn that [is] between his eyes [is] the first king.
Dan 8:22 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 male goat is the Greek empire, first with one ruler, then with four (but the four not having the power of the one ruler).

Dan 8:23 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.
Dan 8:24 And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power: and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practice, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people.
Dan 8:25 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.
Dan 8:26 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.

The rise and fall of the strong little horn is described. This description reads equally true of both Antiochus and Antichrist; it a type of prophecy that has both a near and far fulfillment. Not by his own power - both Antiochus and Antichrist were empowered by Satan. Through his cunning - Antiochus was known for his flattery and smooth tongue; Antichrist will be able to strike a covenant with Israel (Dan. 9:27). He shall magnify himself in his heart - The coins of Antiochus actually bore the title theos epiphanes, "God manifest". Rise against the Prince of princes - their ultimate, real enemy is God, not the Jews. They hate the Jews because they hate God. Broken without human hand - the place of Antiochus' death is unclear, but the manner isn't: he died of intestinal disease, not the hand of man. In a similar way, no man will defeat the Antichrist, but he will be broken by the hand of Jesus (Revelation 19:20). Daniel is told to seal up the vision; it refers to a period far distant. For us, the time is near (Revelation 1:3) and the book is unsealed (Revelation 22:10).

Dan 8:27 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's reaction to the vision: physical shock and astonishment. "He may well have been puzzled about why Yahweh would permit even this brief time of brutal oppression under the little horn."