MP3: The Mighty Angels of Daniel 8
Hosts: Nathan Jones & Vic Batista
The Fierce Featured King
Vic Batista: Daniel 8:23 reveals a frightening personage. The verse reads, “And in the latter times in the kingdom, when this transgression has reached its fullness, a king shall arise having fierce features who understands sinister schemes.” In this segment of our study of Daniel 8, we will identify the Fierce Featured King!
Nathan Jones: The reference to the the Fierce Featured King will actually see a double fulfillment in prophecy. Obviously, Daniel 8 describes how the Medo-Persian Empire would collapse against the great Goat with the Large Horn. The Large Horn on the Goat history revealed was Alexander the Great of the Greek Empire.
The Angel Gabriel in Daniel 8:5 describes Alexander the Great’s Greek Empire as a goat that ran “without touching the ground.” Alexander blitzkrieged through the Middle East. He conquered everything he crossed, including the Medo-Persian Empire.
Alexander didn’t live very long, though. He died in June of 323 BC at age 32 from malaria and complications from alcoholism. He didn’t have an heir, so his four generals split up Alexander’s empire, creating four smaller empires, hence the fulfillment of Daniel 8:8. “Therefore the male goat grew very great; but when he became strong, the large horn was broken, and in place of it four notable ones came up toward the four winds of heaven.”
One of Alexander’s generals birthed the Seleucid Dynasty which controlled Syria. Eventually, over a few hundred years, the Seleucids produced a devil of a ruler named Antiochus IV Epiphanes, meaning Antiochus the Illustrious One. The Jews called him Antiochus Epimanes, meaning Antiochus the Madman. Antiochus literally was an insane sociopath.
Antiochus believed that the Jews should not be allowed to worship God, so he desecrated the Jewish Temple in order to halt the sacrificial services. He even tried to force the Jews to eat pig flesh, which certainly isn’t kosher. He put up idols in the Temple He was a terrible, terrible person! The Jews didn’t take this abomination lightly, so in 167 BC, Mattathias the Hasmonean sparked a revolt which overthrew Antiochus in the Maccabean Rebellion and so freed the Jews from Seleucid control.
Antiochus Epiphanies was the Fierce Featured King. But, he was only a partial fulfillment of this prophecy. This Little Horn of Daniel 8:9 was indeed Antiochus Epiphanies, but he also existed as a type of Antichrist. The actual fulfillment of this prophecy is tied to the end times. Gabriel makes that point in Daniel 8:17. “Understand, son of man, that the vision refers to the time of the end.” What Antiochus, this little horn, achieves is a precursor to what the Antichrist will likewise achieve. We are still waiting for the Antichrist to take over the world one day, so this Fierce Featured King prophecy is also still future.
Antiochus Epiphanies was the Fierce Featured King, but only a partial #prophecy. #BookofDaniel Click To TweetVic Batista: When learning about Bible prophecy and all the events that are unfolding as Bible prophecy predicts, the idea behind all of this is that we recognize the urgency in the world around us. When prophecy is fulfilled, God is proved yet again, and hopefully once realized, people will come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.
Nathan Jones: Exactly! The Bible is all pointing to the glory of God. For us to glorify God in our own lives, we need to give our lives to Jesus Christ by asking for His salvation while repenting of our sins. Don’t let the day get away! Acknowledge Jesus is the Son of God and ask Him to be your Savior, and then make Him Lord of your life.
In the eighth segment of this series on the mighty angels of Daniel, we’ll examine in better detail the Angel Gabriel’s role in interpreting Daniel’s vision.