Rescue Ministries International
Chapter 1 Study — The Bible’s Own Explanation of the Little Horn (Daniel 8)
30 Questions & Answers with Full Supporting Text
Introduction to Chapter 1
This study focuses strictly on what the Bible itself says in Daniel 8. At this stage, no outside interpretation is needed. God gives the vision, and God also provides the explanation within the chapter. The purpose of this study is to walk carefully through the text and observe the sequence, symbols, and actions described in the passage.
Section 1 — The Vision Begins
1. When did Daniel receive this vision?
Answer: In the third year of King Belshazzar.
Daniel 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.”
2. Where was Daniel in the vision?
Answer: In Shushan, in the province of Elam.
Daniel 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.”
3. What did Daniel first see?
Answer: A ram.
Daniel 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.”
4. What was unique about the ram’s horns?
Answer: One horn was higher than the other, and the higher came up last.
Daniel 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.”
5. What directions did the ram push?
Answer: Westward, northward, and southward.
Daniel 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.”
6. Could any beast stand before the ram?
Answer: No.
Daniel 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.”
Section 2 — The Goat Appears
7. What animal came next?
Answer: A goat.
Daniel 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.”
8. How fast was the goat moving?
Answer: Very fast; it did not touch the ground.
Daniel 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.”
9. What did the goat have?
Answer: A notable horn between its eyes.
Daniel 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.”
10. What did the goat do to the ram?
Answer: It attacked and defeated the ram.
Daniel 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.”
Section 3 — The Goat Explained
11. What does the ram represent?
Answer: The kings of Media and Persia.
Daniel 8:20
“The ram which thou sawest having two horns are the kings of Media and Persia.”
12. What does the goat represent?
Answer: Greece.
Daniel 8:21
“And the rough goat is the king of Grecia: and the great horn that is between his eyes is the first king.”
13. What is the great horn of the goat?
Answer: The first king of Greece.
Daniel 8:21
“And the rough goat is the king of Grecia: and the great horn that is between his eyes is the first king.”
Section 4 — The Breaking of the Great Horn
14. What happened to the great horn?
Answer: It was broken when it was strong.
Daniel 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.”
15. What replaced the great horn?
Answer: Four notable horns.
Daniel 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.”
16. What do the four horns represent?
Answer: Four kingdoms that would stand up out of the nation.
Daniel 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.”
17. Did these four kingdoms have the same power as the first king?
Answer: No, they did not have his power.
Daniel 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.”
Section 5 — The Little Horn Appears
18. Where does the little horn come from?
Answer: Out of one of the four horns.
Daniel 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.”
19. What does “one of them” refer to in the context?
Answer: The four divisions of the Greek Empire that arose after the great horn was broken.
Daniel 8:8–9
“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.
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.”
20. In what directions did the little horn grow?
Answer: Toward the south, toward the east, and toward the pleasant land.
Daniel 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.”
Section 6 — The Actions of the Little Horn
21. What did the little horn do to the host of heaven?
Answer: It cast down some of the host and of the stars to the ground.
Daniel 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.”
22. What did it do after casting them down?
Answer: It stamped upon them.
Daniel 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.”
23. Against whom did the little horn magnify itself?
Answer: Against the prince of the host.
Daniel 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.”
24. What happened to the daily sacrifice?
Answer: It was taken away.
Daniel 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.”
25. What happened to the place of the sanctuary?
Answer: It was cast down.
Daniel 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.”
26. What happened to truth?
Answer: Truth was cast down to the ground.
Daniel 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 practised, and prospered.”
27. Did the little horn prosper in what it did?
Answer: Yes, it practiced and prospered.
Daniel 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 practised, and prospered.”
Section 7 — The Question and the Answer
28. What question was asked in the vision?
Answer: How long the vision concerning the daily sacrifice and the transgression of desolation would last.
Daniel 8:13
“Then I heard one saint speaking, and another saint said unto that certain saint which spake, 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?”
29. What answer was given?
Answer: Unto two thousand and three hundred days.
Daniel 8:14
“And he said unto me, Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.”
30. What happens at the end of that period?
Answer: The sanctuary shall be cleansed.
Daniel 8:14
“And he said unto me, Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.”
Conclusion of Chapter 1
This first chapter establishes the foundation of the entire study. The Bible itself identifies the ram as Medo-Persia, the goat as Greece, the great horn as the first king, and the four horns as four kingdoms that arise from that Greek Empire. Then the text says that the little horn comes out of one of them.
The most important truth at this stage is simple: the little horn comes from the Greek sequence of the vision and is directly connected to the sanctuary, the daily sacrifice, desolation, and cleansing.
Closing Thought
Before bringing in later history, church tradition, or debate, Daniel 8 already gives the kingdoms, the sequence, the origin, and the actions. The Bible begins the explanation, and the Bible provides the framework that must govern the rest of the study.
| Back to Series Untangling Daniel 8:14: Antiochus Epiphanes, the Little Horn, and the Cleansing of the Sanctuary Chapter Topics 1. The Bible’s Own Explanation of the Little Horn This chapter lays the foundation by showing that Daniel 8 itself identifies the kingdoms, sequence, and setting of the little horn. 2. The Ram, the Goat, and the Rise of Greece This chapter focuses on Medo-Persia, Greece, and the great horn, showing that the prophecy moves directly into the Greek world. 3. The Division of Greece and the Emergence of the Little Horn This chapter shows that the little horn arises from one of the four divisions of Alexander’s empire, making its Greek origin unmistakable. 4. The Historical Fulfillment: Antiochus Epiphanes and the Little Horn This chapter demonstrates from Daniel and the books of Maccabees that Antiochus fulfills the little horn in origin, action, and outcome. 5. The Cleansing of the Sanctuary, Hanukkah, and Jesus’ Recognition This chapter shows that Daniel 8:14 was fulfilled in the cleansing of the temple, preserved in Hanukkah, and acknowledged in the time of Jesus. 6. Jewish History and Early Testimony: Confirming the Little Horn This chapter uses Jewish historical witness, especially Josephus, to confirm the temple desecration, the stopping of sacrifice, and the later cleansing. 7. Early Church Fathers and the Historical Understanding of the Little Horn This chapter shows that early Christian interpreters recognized Antiochus as the historical fulfillment of Daniel 8, even when some also saw him as a foreshadowing of later evil powers. 8. Modern Churches, Scholars, and the Debate Over Daniel 8:14 This chapter compares the broader historical interpretation of Daniel 8 with later views, especially the Adventist 1844 interpretation, and asks whether the evidence supports history or later tradition. |