Day 5

Scripture to Read: Daniel 8:1–12

We know Antiochus Epiphanes was a tyrant toward Israel, and in Daniel 8:11, we read, “It even magnified itself to be equal with the Commander of the host; and it removed the regular sacrifice from Him, and the place of His sanctuary was thrown down.” God shows how Antiochus exalted himself and made himself equal to God. Even his name, Antiochus Epiphanes, means “God revealed.” That is why he is looked at as a type of antichrist because the future antichrist will be like this as well; he will magnify himself as being God (2 Thessalonians 2:4). Daniel also wrote, “it removed the regular sacrifice from Him, and the place of His sanctuary was thrown down.” We must know that the temple Solomon built was destroyed in Daniel’s lifetime by the Babylonians around 586 B.C. After Daniel died, the Jews who returned to Israel, who had been exiled, rebuilt the temple, as recorded in the Book of Ezra. So, when Greece came to power, Israel had their temple to offer sacrifices to the Lord. That is why we see in Daniel 8:11 that Antiochus Epiphanes would stop the sacrifices in the temple. Now read Daniel 8:12. What we know is that from 170 to 164 B.C., Antiochus persecuted the Jews, stopped the sacrifices, desecrated the temple, disregarded God’s Word and carried out his will, and prospered, but it was all short-lived. To live as if God doesn’t exist is futile, and God makes that clear in Psalm 73, where God had Asaph pen the words describing the wicked and the righteous.

Challenge & Application

• We know evil prevails in this world today, so, as followers of Christ, how should we pray for each other and for those who are still dead in their sin? • What does God reveal to us about the evil prospering, and why should we not lose heart when the evil seem to get away with the evil they are committing?

Don’t forget to pray using the A.C.T.S. (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication) method!

Devotionals from this week

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Day 1

Daniel, led by the Holy Spirit, wrote about things 400 years before they happened. Read Daniel 8:1. Daniel had a second vision in the third year of Belshazzar the King, about 551 B.C. Some doubt that Daniel wrote the Book of Daniel. But in Matthew 24:15, Jesus quotes Daniel 9:27 and says this was given through “Daniel the prophet.” In Daniel ...

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Day 2

Persia conquered the Babylonians, but Persia was also conquered, as we read in Daniel 8:5–8. God allowed Daniel to see the ram (the Medo-Persian Empire) conquer Babylon, but he also saw Greece (the one-horned goat) conquer the Medo-Persian Empire a few centuries later. Daniel 8:5 says, “While I was observing, behold, a male goat was coming fr...

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Day 3

Alexander the Great received the discipline of God. Though Alexander the Great had conquered the world, the history books tell us that he died of debauchery at around age 32. Some attribute his death to alcoholism; others attribute it to sexually transmitted disease(s). Basically, his lustful passions cost him his life. God warns us, as His ...

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Day 4

We covered Alexander the Great in last week's devotions, but God reveals more in Daniel 8. Since Alexander the Great died young, his empire went to his four generals; that’s the four horns Daniel saw emerge on the goat to replace the large horn. General Cassandra ruled Macedonia. General Ptolemy ruled Egypt. General Lysimachus ruled Thrace an...

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Day 5

We know Antiochus Epiphanes was a tyrant toward Israel, and in Daniel 8:11, we read, “It even magnified itself to be equal with the Commander of the host; and it removed the regular sacrifice from Him, and the place of His sanctuary was thrown down.” God shows how Antiochus exalted himself and made himself equal to God. Even his name, Antioch...

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Day 6

Read Daniel 8:13–14. We have two angels discussing the desecration of God's temple and wondering how long it would last. God makes it clear it would last 2,300 days, about six years. After the 2,300 days, the Maccabean Revolt took place and though Israel was outnumbered, God gave them favor and they succeeded in taking the temple back from An...

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Day 7

In Daniel 8:15–19, Daniel “sought to understand” the vision God showed him. In Daniel 8:20–25, God gave Daniel the interpretation of the vision. Note that Daniel chose to diligently seek an answer. Sadly, today, too many who claim to be Christians in America choose to be apathetic toward hungering for God’s Word. Many don’t have an appetite f...

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