Daniel 8

[Theland]

What's your take on Daniel 8?
This is a very important prophecy, but like most prophecies, is written in a format of symbolism that is open to interpretation, but to the true believer and God seeker, its meaning is narrowed down to what is relevant.
Specifically, the two horned ram, the one horned goat, and 2300 days.

[Whickerman]

Hi Theland

Just read that passage, and I'll be the first to admit I have no idea what Daniel was on that night, but it was some heavy duty prophecy produced.

Sorry, just being flippant. I've googled 'daniel 8 interpretation' - you could spend years reading some of the theories on there. What's your interpretation?

[Theland]

Hi Whickerman - for a start, thank you for your polite tone, I was expecting a custard pie through cyber space!

The two horned ram is the Hebrew nation, one horn longer than the other is the ten tribes of Israel, compared to the two tribes of Judah.

The one horned goat that destroys the ram is Alexander the Great, who conquered Israel / Jerusalem in 334 B.C.

The 2300 'days' are actually years, that "Jerusalem would be trodden down by the Gentiles."
Considering that there is no year zero between B.C. and A.D. that takes us to 1967, the year that Jerusalem was again reunited under the sovereignty of the Jews.

[Whickerman]

I'm always polite! ;-)

It makes some interesting readin, no doubt, but it's really open to interpretation. I'm no biblical scholar, so feel free to shoot me down on this, but let's apply some of the story to modern times. Maybe the two horned ram is the US and Uk, and the single horned goat is the threat of Islam?

I don't actually hold that as a valid theory btw - just conjecture on my part that youcould apply a lot of different theories to the story. My tuppence worth.

[WaldoMcFroog]

Only marginally scuppered by the rather inconvenient fact that, even if you're right about days meaning years, in 334, Alexander wasn't conquering Israel/ Jerusalem, but Persia.

He took Tyre in 333 and 332. There is no evidence to prove Alexander ever entered Jerusalem.

[jno]

either you take it literally as written - in which case days means days, not years - or you can interpret it any way you like and make it mean anything you want. Why would God talk in symbolism? Why wouldn't he just say what he means in plain Yiddish?

[Theland]

Didn't Alexander head south for Egypt and had to cross Israel to get there?
I read somewhere that he did not enter Jerusalem, for whatever reason I do not know, but cities nearby were occupied.

[WaldoMcFroog]

Yes, but not in 334.

http://www.ac.wwu.edu/~stephan/Animation/alexa nder.html