Each beast represents four kings or kingdoms
The fourth beast means (v23-27) that a fourth kingdom will arise, different from the others. It will devour the earth and temple, humiliating three kings (kingdoms) and the world will conspire to destroy it, reigning in the eternal kingdom

Chapter 8

Two years later…

The vision of the ram and goat

Ram with one horn longer than the other, trashing around and overpowering all others
A goat, from the west, floats over with a horn between its eyes
The goat raged against the ram, breaking its horns and trampling it
The goat was even more arrogant but its horn broke and four more rose in its place. From one cme another horn that grew large
“What period of time does the vision pertain?” “to 2300 evenings and mornings (6.3 years), then the sanctuary will be put right again”

Interpretation (8:16-)

The vision pertains to the end of times
The ram represents Media and Persia
The goat is Greece
- The horn was broken into four
- When Alexander the Great died, his kingdom was split into Asia (includes modern day Syria, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan), Egypt, Thrace, and Macedonia/Greece
- Rome then destroyed Greece and expanded its empire
- From Rome, grew the Roman Catholic church - different from all the others - and no army could rise against it
At the end, the Greek kings will become rash and one king will arise and destroy God’s people through deceit
The 2300 should be sealed away for now as it is a long ways off

Prayer

Daniel recognizes that the period of Babylonian captivity would be 70 weeks

Daniel prays that God forgive the people

Seventy Weeks

Seventy weeks have been determined to put an end to rebellion and complete sin, atoning for wickedness, and bring in perpetual righteousness
From rebuild of Jerusalem until prince returns & temple completed: 7 + 62 weeks (1.3 years)
After 62 weeks (1.2 years), annointed one (messiah) will be cut off and have nothing
He will confirm a covenant with many for 1 week
- In the middle of that week he will stop sacrifice
- Many say that this will happen at 3.5 years into the tribulation period (1 week = 7 days so 7 years of tribulation ⇒ 3.5 days becomes 3.5 years)
Total: 2.5 years

After some scary news of war, Daniel spent time fasting. While fasting, an angel approaches and reassures him that the war is in God’s control

The message from the angel:

Three kings will arise for Persia and a fourth with be unusually rich
A powerful king will arise and do whatever he pleases
Shortly after rising, it will be broken up and distributed across the earth
The north and south will go to war with each other
Many will be lead astray but its still not the end time
“When is it for?” “It is for time, times, and half a time” (time = 1 year. Time [1], times [2], and half a time [0.5] = 3.5 years). After that, “all these things will be finished”

After that, everything is sealed until the end of times

From the time that the sacrifice is removed (abomination that causes desolation) there are 1290 days = 3.5 years