How Long? A reflection on Daniel 8
How long will this time of wrath, of destruction, last? When
things aren’t going our way or when we think the world is going in the wrong
direction, we’re liable to ask—how long? When will it all end? That is a
question that was surely on the minds of those who experienced exile in
Babylon. The Book of Daniel takes place during the Babylonian exile, which in
round numbers lasts seventy years. That’s a long time. It’s enough time for a
couple of generations to emerge. The Book of Daniel, which my Bible study group
is working through, tells the story of a prophet, a seer, an interpreter and
dreamer of dreams. Daniel’s life, according to the book, covers the entirety of
exile. It begins in chapter one with Daniel and three friends, who had been
taken into exile, are raised up in the court of the Babylonian king. In the
course of time, Daniel will serve in the administrations of the Babylonians,
the Medes, and the Persians. In these days he will interpret dreams for kings
and receive visions he is mean to keep to himself. That’s the foreground of the
story, but most scholars, and I’m in agreement, believe that whatever the provenance
of the various components of the book, it came together during the times of
trouble in Judah, when Antiochus IV had taken control of Jerusalem and
instituted a reign of terror that was intent on ridding the people of Judah of
their culture, their language, and their God, replacing them with “blessings”
of Hellenization. In other words, Daniel
is a book of liberation. Now, we have reached chapter eight.
In chapter seven, which takes place during
the first year of Belshazzar, the final ruler of Babylon, Daniel receives a
vision that parallels the dream of Nebuchadnezzar in chapter two, a dream he
was asked to interpret. In chapter seven, the last of the Aramaic chapters of
Daniel, the prophet envisions four beasts emerging out of the sea, representing
four empires that rise and ultimately fall. The first three are rather
grotesque, but they are nothing in comparison to the fourth, which turns out to
be the Hellenistic kingdoms that emerge out of Alexander’s conquests. We
encounter there the “little horn,” which is identified with Antiochus IV, a
figure we meet again in chapter 8.
As we approach the vision of chapter
8, which involves not four beasts, but two rather ordinary animals, a ram and a
goat (though the second one, the goat, has a rather interesting horn set in the
middle of its head, between its eyes). C.L. Seow write this of the comparison
of the two chapters:
In short, Daniel 7 is cosmic and implicit, while Daniel 8 is nationalistic and explicit. The difference is such that one might think of the latter as a fleshing out of the former. The vision of Daniel 8 may, indeed, be viewed, as a contextualization of the dream vision in chapter 7, which is itself a reworking of the account of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream vision in chapter 2. (Seow, Daniel, p. 118).
So, we move
toward that nationalistic and explicit vision, though we will want to clarify
the word nationalist here. In contemporary conversation the word nationalist has
a very different meaning, one that is disdainful of one’s neighbors and seeks
to dominate. Here the context is one of experiencing oppression, and thus a
call to resist a colonialist power that is seeking to dominate and destroy the
very fabric of one’s self-hood. This is a word that would resonate with
communities and nations that have suffered under the thumb of other powers.
Think of all the independence movements of the past century as empires began to
falter, whether British, Soviet, or American.
Daniel has a vision during the third
year of the reign of Belshazzar, king of Babylon. He finds himself at Susa, then
a rather nondescript Babylonian outpost that would eventually become one of the
Persian capitals. He envisions a ram standing beside the Ulai River. It has two
horns, one longer than the other (representing Media and Persia). This ram is
powerful. No one can resist them, certainly not Babylon. It did as it pleases.
At least for a time. Remember in Daniel
no empire lasts forever, no matter how great and strong it became.
The vision moves in verse 5, as a goat appears in the west,
moving quickly across the earth (its feet don’t touch the ground). It has a
great horn protruding between its eyes. It attacks the ram with “savage force.”
Enraged at its enemy, the goat breaks the two horns of the ram. It throws the
ram to the ground and tramples it, and no one could rescue it. Daniel says of
the goat that it grew exceedingly great. But, at the height of its power, the
great horn was broken, and four horns emerge, moving toward the four winds. The
reader would understand that Daniel is envisioning the conquests of Alexander,
which quickly dispatched the formerly powerful Persian Empire and moving across
the land with great speed. But they would also understand that at the height of
his power, Alexander died of a fever, and his empire was divided among his generals,
the Diadochi, four of whom were the
most prominent, and two of most importance to the people living in Jerusalem—Ptolemy
I and Seleucus I, kings of Egypt and Syria respectively. For the purposes of
the Book of Daniel, it is Seleucus and his descendants, who will be of most
importance in the story.
As I grew up, I was impressed by Alexander and the spread of
Hellenism across the eastern Mediterranean and beyond. As I read scripture, and
began to understand its background, I came to understand that not everyone
appreciated Alexander’s legacy. In the stories I read Alexander was a glorious
hero, but to the people to home Daniel is written, he is a scourge, a colonizer
who displaced local customs with his Greek culture. Now Hellenism may have had its
value, even as the British Empire may have had some benefits. But the costs
were great to local cultures. What can I say about the American expansion
across the continent?
We don’t stop with Alexander, for if he is the Great Horn, a
Little Horn will emerge, which will grow exceedingly strong. It will fight glorious
battles, but also attack the Beautiful Land (most likely Jerusalem/Mount Zion.
It will grow as high as the heavenly realm. In other words, it fights battles
that are local and cosmic. We’re even told that the Little Horn will storm
heaven and throw down the heavenly host to the ground and trample on them. It will
attack the Prince of the Host (God?) and take away the daily sacrifice and
overturn or make desolate the Holy Place. Let the reader understand, this is a
reference to Antiochus IV’s desecration of the Temple. Yes, a different set of
offerings and sacrifices will take place in the Holy Place, as a different host
takes root (Zeus?). The holy ones, the Jewish people, cry out, wondering how
long. Daniel overhears two “holy ones,” perhaps angelic beings, discuss the
question of how long it will be before the Temple offerings are restored and
the sacrilege taking place will end. The word he hears is 2300 evenings and
mornings. Now that number is difficult to decipher, and scholars are of
differing opinions. Let’s just say, it will take time for restoration to take
place, but the time of desolation is not forever.
That’s the vision in a nutshell. Like most apocalyptic
visions it is cryptic and colorful. As Seow notes it is more local than the
vision of chapter seven, and yet it has its cosmic dimensions. What happens on
earth seems to affect what happens in heaven. Even God is affected by these
actions. In Daniel’s vision of divine sovereignty, of course, God permits, at
least for a time. We might argue with that vision. I have a different vision of
sovereignty than some might have, which would mean rethinking some of this. But
it’s important that we hear him out.
As one might assume, Daniel is having trouble figuring this
out. As he ponders the message, a human-like figure stands in the river and
calls out to Gabriel, asking Gabriel to interpret. Now, it should be noted that
this is the first time that an angelic being is named in the Biblical text.
When Gabriel comes near, Daniel prostrates himself, in recognition of Gabriel’s
position. For his part, Gabriel addresses Daniel as Son of Man or O Mortal,
letting him know that this is a vision of the end, of a future moment. Daniel
falls into a trance as he lies prostrate, but Gabriel lifts him up and offers
an interpretation of what will happen during the period of “wrath.” He lets
Daniel know that ram represents the kings of Media and Persia, and that the
goat is the king of Greece. He doesn’t name Alexander, but it’s clear that Alexander
is the Great Horn, that the broken horn is the Diadochi.
When we reach verse 23, which focuses on the Little Horn, the
text moves into a more poetic mode. The message here in verses 23-25 is that
the time is coming when the Goat’s rule will reach its climax, and a king of “bold
countenance” will emerge, who is “skilled in intrigue” or as the CEB puts it is
a “master of deception.” This Little Horn, as it reaches its height of power
will wreak unbelievable destruction, succeeding in all it does, destroying the
power and the people of the Holy Ones. In other words, he will wreak
destruction on Jerusalem, and on the Saints. He will be cunning and deceitful.
He will think of himself as being great. Without warning he will rise up
against the prince of princes. In other words, this king is so arrogant that he
doesn’t even regard God’s power but is willing to challenge God. All I’ll say here, to our context, “let the
reader understand!” But all is not lost. Despite the arrogance. Despite the
unwillingness to give reverence to God. Even the Little Horn will be broken.
But apparently, this will not occur with human hands.
The bad news is that Jerusalem is suffering. The good news it
is not forever. A time will come when even the “great” and powerful will fall.
That is the message of the vision in chapter 2 and the vision in chapter 7.
Empires rise and fall, but the kingdom of God endures forever. Daniel is told
to seal up the vision, because it is for a different time. As for Daniel, he still
doesn’t understand. He is still troubled, feeling sick for several days, but in
the end, he returns to the king’s business. He’s troubled by what he’s seen,
but he doesn’t let it keep him from living. He moves on, letting the word speak
where it needs to speak.
It spoke to the time of Antiochus IV, giving comfort and
encouragement to a people suffering under occupation. In answer to the question of "how long," the vision promised that the
times of wrath are not permanent. The question for us is what message we can
take from it. I don’t read it as some do as a mysterious timeline that leads to
Armageddon. I do, however, believe it has message for today. Yes, and its
political one. Who will you give your allegiance to. As I write this, I am
reflecting on the 2018 Midterm elections. I heard some good news and some bad
news. There is hope to be found there, but even there we are not to put our
full hopes in that process. However, there is the promise that empires rise and
fall, but the realm of God is eternal!
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