Title: Second and above (Daniel 8:1-4)
Contents
Lecture 83 The Second Vision (Daniel 8:1-4)
8:1-4
After the first vision appeared to me, Daniel, the vision appeared again in the third year of King Belshazzar. I saw a vision, and when I saw it, my body was in the city of Shushan in Elam as well. And there stood a ram with two horns, both of which were long, but one was longer than the other, and the longer one was born later. Since there was no one to save it, it acted arbitrarily and became strong in itself
Please see verse 1. "After the vision I first appeared to Daniel." In chapter 7, it is said that Daniel received the first vision “in the first year of King Belshazzar of Babylon”. The time when he received the second vision was called "the third year of King Belshazzar." So, two years after Daniel received the first vision, the second vision came to Daniel again. The end of the Babylonian Empire was drawing nearer.
King Nebuchadnezzar made the huge statue he had seen in his dream all of gold. They wanted the Babylonian Empire to last forever. In the end, however, the golden hair was replaced by silver arms and chest. Babylon disappeared, and the Medes and Persians took their place. The first kingdom, the lion-like beast, disappeared, and the second kingdom, the bear-like beast, was established. Everything happened as God had planned. So in Daniel's second vision there is no account of the first kingdom. The focus is on the second and third countries. The second nation is Medes and Persia, and the third nation is Greece.
Please see verse 2. “I saw a vision, and when I saw it, my body was in Shushan, also in Elam.” Here, "Elam Province" is the name of the province, as if it were "Gyeongsangbuk-do". "Susanseong" is the name of the city. Shushan was a city about 220 miles east of Babylon. However, as Babylon fell and the Medes and Persia entered, this became the capital of the Persian kingdom. So, if you read the Bible, did not Esther and Nehemiah, who lived in the Persian period, live in Shushan? God had shown the place to Daniel in advance in a vision. Perhaps Daniel's body is actually still in Babylon. Just in the vision, his body was in Elam and Susanseong, and his spirit was on the banks of the Ulae River.
Let's continue to see more. This is verse 3. "I lifted up my eyes and saw a ram with two horns standing by the river." In the first vision, the Medes and Persia are depicted as bear-like beasts, while in the second vision they are depicted as two-horned rams. Please see verse 20. “The rams you saw with two horns were the kings of Medes and Persia.” This ram was a symbol of the Medes and Persian kingdoms.
"Two horns." So one horn is Medes and the other horn is Persia. But he said, “Though both horns are long.” Don't horns symbolize power, power, etc.? The fact that both horns are long means that they have tremendous power. But he said, "One horn was longer than the other." The horns are of different lengths. One horn is longer. Please continue to watch. "The long one came later." First I have short horns, later I have longer horns. This prophetic work that God showed Daniel through the vision was fulfilled as it was. So, the first little horn that was born was Darius the Mede in Daniel 6. He initially held power for a while. However, it was King Cyrus of Persia who later took over the world and issued a decree to send all the captives back to their homeland. So the first little horn is Darius of the Medes, and the last long horn is Cyrus of Persia. As such, the Word of God never falls to the ground. Every word comes true. So it is the word of God.
Please continue to look at verse 4. “I saw that the ram was directed to the west and to the north and to the south.” East is gone? The combined forces of the Medes and Persians were the first to conquer the west. Elam, the capital of the Persian kingdom, was said to be about 220 miles east of Babylon. It destroyed the Babylonian Empire to the west and then quickly occupied Syria and Palestine. Keep turning and where did you go? I went north. They occupied Turkey, the Caucasus, and areas around the Caspian Sea. And where did I go after that? They occupied Egypt and Ethiopia to the south. It was all done. But the Vasa nation did not care about the east. Later, Alexander the Great of Greece came out and took over India. The vasa did not extend eastward. Isn't that too accurate? It's all done as it is.
Let's continue to look at verse 4. "There is no beast that can withstand it." Mede and Persia conquered the whole world. “There was no one able to rescue him from his hand, so it acted arbitrarily and became mighty by itself. Persia ruled the world as a powerful nation for about 200 years until Alexander the Great of the Greek Empire appeared.
Today, through these words, we can see that God's words do not fall to the ground, not even one point, one tittle, and all of them are fulfilled. Let's live by the word of God. It will happen as you say. “Call on me in the day of trouble, and I will deliver you, and you will glorify thee.” If we hold on to that word when we pray, God will deliver us out of trouble. Because God has promised. Where are you planning a business trip today? I am not going alone. “Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the world.” Since the Lord has said that He will walk with us, I hope you will hold on to that word and go with the Lord. There will be no failures. “I will help you, yea, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” May it be a blessed step by holding God's hand and walking together.
I hope that you will be filled with the word of God today. I also hope that God's Word will live and work in your life. So, I hope that you will have a blessed life of victory through the word of God.