SERMON NOTES
“Kingdom people pursue the King’s agenda”
The Vision:
- The ram (8:3-4) = the kingdoms of Media & Persia
- The goat (8:5-8) = the kingdom of Greece
- The goat’s horn (8:5-8) = Alexander the Great
- The four horns (8:8) = four generals who took part of Alexander’s kingdom after his death
- The one strong horn (8:9-12; 8:23-25; 11:21-35) = Antiochus IV (“Antiochus Epiphanes”)
Antiochus Epiphanes and the attack on the Jews
- Forced paganization
- Killed those who wouldn’t comply. Many Jews acquiesced to his demands. Many did not and were killed.
- Offered a sacrifice of a pig on an altar devoted to Zeus in the Jerusalem temple - “the abomination that causes desolation” (11:31).
- Oppressed Jerusalem for approximately 7 years (roughly 2300 days) and put the temple under siege for approximately 3.5 years (roughly 1150 days).
How do we pursue the King’s agenda in the midst of terrible pressure?
Questions to ponder: What would it have been like to be a Jew in Jerusalem at the time of Antiochus Epiphanes? Why do you think it was important for God to share this vision with Daniel almost 400 years before it happened? What can we glean from the book of Daniel about what it means to pursue God’s agenda even when there’s opposition?
