Day 7

Scripture to Read: Daniel 8:15–27

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 for God’s Word because they’ve filled their minds with worldly stuff through the internet and their appetite for God’s Word has been lost. God tells us in 1 Peter 2:2, “like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation.” Like a baby hungers for the milk of its mother, we must diligently hunger for God’s Word to know Him and what He has for us each day. God sent the angel Gabriel to give Daniel the interpretation of Daniel’s vision. Gabriel says in Daniel 8:17, “understand that the vision pertains to the time of the end.” Gabriel spoke of the end of the empire of Greece because that’s the context of the vision. In Daniel 8:20–21, we’re reminded that the ram is the Medo-Persian Empire and the goat is the Greek Empire. In Daniel 8:23–25, God had Daniel write about Antiochus Epiphanes’ reign. Antiochus brought horrible persecution against the Jews. But Antiochus was simply a pawn carrying out the agenda of Satan (2 Corinthians 2:11, Ephesians 6:11–12) to eradicate the Jewish people. Daniel 8:26–27 gives the time frame and reveals how Daniel suffered, knowing his Jewish brothers and sisters would suffer.

Challenge & Application

• Daniel diligently sought to know what the vision meant; so, how do you diligently seek God and His Word each day? • Why is it vital for us to seek God and His Word each day, and what happens when we don't?

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...

Read