Question 1

What is happening in Daniel’s vision of the ram and the goat?

Accepted Answer

Daniel sees himself in the Persian city of Shushan by the Ulai River. There he sees a ram with two high horns, one higher than the other, pushing west, north, and south so that no other beast can stand before it. Then a male goat rushes from the west so fast it seems not to touch the ground, with one large horn between its eyes. The goat attacks the ram, breaks its horns, and tramples it. This shows one empire rising in power, then being suddenly defeated by another that comes with great speed and strength.

Question 2

Who do the ram and the goat represent in this passage?

Accepted Answer

The ram with two horns pictures the joined kingdom of the Medes and Persians, ruled under one power. The two horns show the two parts of the empire, with the higher horn pointing to Persia becoming stronger than Media. The goat from the west stands for the Greek kingdom led by a mighty ruler. Its single great horn points to one main leader. The way the goat rushes across the earth without touching the ground paints how quickly this western king would defeat the Medo-Persian empire.

Question 3

Who is the little horn that grows out of one of the four horns?

Accepted Answer

After the great horn on the goat is broken, four notable horns rise toward the four winds, showing the division of the Greek empire among four rulers. From one of these comes a little horn that grows very great toward the south, the east, and the pleasant land, which is Judea. This little horn points to Antiochus Epiphanes, who started small and rose to power. He became known for attacking God’s people, invading the land, and bringing hardship and defilement to the sanctuary in Jerusalem.

Question 4

What does it mean that the little horn takes away the daily sacrifice?

Accepted Answer

The passage says the little horn makes himself great even against the prince of the host, removes the daily sacrifice, and casts down the place of the sanctuary. This means that under this ruler, the regular offerings in the temple were stopped and the holy place was thrown down from its honor. He tried to wipe out right worship, trampled truth, and for a time seemed to succeed. It shows open rebellion against God, as attacking God’s people and His worship is counted as rising against God Himself.

Question 5

Why does God allow the sanctuary and God’s people to be trampled?

Accepted Answer

The passage links this hard time with “transgression.” An army is given over to the little horn against the daily sacrifice because of sin. This shows that God sometimes allows His people and His sanctuary to suffer as part of His judgment for their wrongdoing. Yet this is not the end of the story. The suffering is limited to a set time. God remains in control of how far evil rulers can go and how long they can act, and He uses even their pride and violence to work out His just purposes.

Question 6

What is meant by the 2,300 days until the sanctuary is cleansed?

Accepted Answer

Daniel hears one holy one ask another how long the vision about the daily sacrifice, the desolating sin, and the trampling of the sanctuary and host will last. The answer is, “Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.” This points to a fixed period, a little over six years, during which the temple worship would be brought low and polluted. It also tells us that the trouble would not last forever. God had already set the limit and promised that the sanctuary would be restored.

Question 7

What does this passage teach about God’s control over history?

Accepted Answer

This vision shows that empires rise and fall according to God’s plan. The Medo-Persian kingdom grows strong, then is struck down by the Greeks. A small ruler later grows into a harsh oppressor of God’s people. None of this takes God by surprise. He names the flow of history long before it happens and sets both the reach and the length of each power. Even when a king tramples truth and worship, he only goes as far, and as long, as God allows. This encourages trust in God’s rule over all nations.

Question 8

Why is this passage often hard for readers to understand?

Accepted Answer

This passage can feel hard because it uses vivid pictures of animals, horns, and stars to speak about real kingdoms and people. It also looks ahead to events many years after Daniel’s time, and it gives a number, 2,300 days, that readers may puzzle over. Faithful readers have compared these signs with known history and see Medo-Persia, Greece, and a harsh ruler over Judea in view. Even if every detail is not clear to us, the main point is plain: God rules over kings and sets limits on suffering.

Question 9

How can Daniel’s vision of the ram and goat help believers today?

Accepted Answer

This passage shows that worldly power is short-lived, no matter how strong it seems. Great kings rise, conquer, and then are broken, while God’s purpose keeps moving forward. God also sees the pain of His people when truth is trampled and worship is hindered. He both warns of coming trials and promises an end to them. For believers today, this encourages patience in suffering, humility about human power, and steady trust that God has set a limit to evil and will restore what has been thrown down.

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.

Daniel’s Vision of the Ram and the Goat

Vision of the Ram and Goat

Cross References

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.

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Daniel’s Vision of the Ram and the Goat

Vision of the Ram and Goat

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