Two choices: the Ram or the He-Goat!
Study:
Why two and only two? In Daniel 7 there were four animals? Who are these two? Why do I ask who? Look and see!
"The ram which thou sawest having two horns are the kings of Media and Persia." Daniel 8:20
Recall that according to Daniel 2 and Daniel 7... (See "King is Kingdom.")
a beast = a kingdom = a king
...specifically, a king like Nebuchadnezzar, he being the GREATEST king of the Neo-Babylonian Empire. So, what Persian king is fit to be labelled the GREATEST king of the Medo-Persian, Persian or Achaemenid Empire and thus a fit representative of that empire? As Nebuchadnezzar was essentially the founder of Babylon's greatness... what about the founder of the Persian Empire, Cyrus the GREAT?
A Ram = the Persian Empire = Cyrus the Great
If you will recall, we quoted some verses naming Cyrus in our first prophecy study. Notice now that Cyrus is mentioned by name by God about 100 years before his birth... in other words, Cyrus is part of prophecy.
"That saith of Cyrus, He is my shepherd... Thus saith the Lord to his anointed, to Cyrus..." Isaiah 44:28;45:1
Shepherd? Anointed? Who else is called a shepherd and anointed (or in Hebrew "messiah" and in Greek "christ")?
"I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. ... I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine." John 10:11,14
"Then charged he his disciples that they should tell no man that he was Jesus the Christ." Matthew 16:20
So Cyrus is a type (or symbol) of Jesus Christ. Recall that we already saw that Cyrus is a type, in our first study, allision being made to him in Revelation 16:12: "...the great river Euphrates ... the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared." Thus,
the Ram = Persia = Cyrus = Jesus
or, in short,
the Ram = Jesus Christ
Ok! So, who is the he-goat that kills the ram? For this answer, we go to Leviticus 16 and the Day of Atonement.
"And he shall take the two goats, and set them before the LORD at the door of the tent of meeting. And Aaron shall cast lots upon the two goats; one lot for the LORD, and the other lot for Azazel. And Aaron shall present the goat upon which the lot fell for the LORD, and offer him for a sin offering. But the goat, on which the lot fell for Azazel, shall be set alive before the LORD, to make atonement for him, to send him away for Azazel into the wilderness." Leviticus 16:7-10 (ERV)
Note: remember that the he-goat of Daniel 8, which remains alive, is the scapegoat or goat for Azazel.
Note: this sending away "into the wilderness" is similar to the sending away into the "dry places" or "the deep" of a cast out demon.
"When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none." Matthew 12:43
"And they [the Legion of devils] besought him that he would not command them to go out into the deep [Greek ἄβυσσος abussos; abyss/bottomless pit]." Luke 8:31
Why am I comparing the scapegoat to a demon? Because we have two goats! There are two sides, at war with one another, in this world...
"And he shewed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him." Zechariah 3:1
...and thus we have two chooses, either God or Satan. In Leviticus 16, those two sides are "for the LORD" or "for Azazel." The LORD's goat dies for a sin offering, which is what Christ did for us "in the likeness of sinful flesh" (Romans 8:3), while Azazel's goat is cast out of "the camp of the saints" (Revelation 20:9) into an uninhabited place never again to inhabit the land of the saints or possess its people.
Note: though Christ came in the likeness of sinful flesh, as a goat (or as a serpent... see John 3:14), he is the Lamb of God.
Summarizing:
the Ram = Jesus Christ
the He-Goat = Satan
and
the He-Goat kills the Ram!
Did this not happen at the Cross?
Two Sides/Two Choices:
Notice now, that Christ makes reference to this vision of Daniel and understands it to reference the Day of Atonement/the Judgment.
"When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal." Matthew 25:31-46
So we see Christ sitting in Judgment, separating the good from the bad, and the good are represented as sheep, like their master, the ram or the Lamb of God, while the wicked are represented as goats, like their master, the he-goat or goat for Azazel.
(adversaries)
Jesus Christ
Satan
of Christ's flock
true members
false members
Finally, notice that every participant, in this vision, is linked to either the ram or the he-goat, in other words, there is no third option or middle ground.
"Therefore the he goat waxed very great: and when he was strong, the great horn was broken; and for it came up four notable ones toward the four winds of heaven. And out of one of them came forth a little horn..." Daniel 8:8,9
Obviously, the little horn is with the he-goat as it is attached to and part of the he-goat.
"And as I was considering, behold, an he goat ... And he came to the ram that had two horns ... and ran unto him in the fury of his power. And I saw him come close unto the ram, and he was moved with choler against him, and smote the ram, and brake his two horns: and there was no power in the ram to stand before him, but he cast him down to the ground, and stamped upon him: and there was none that could deliver the ram out of his hand." Daniel 8:5-7
"And it [the little horn] waxed great, even to the host of heaven; and it cast down some of the host and of the stars to the ground, and stamped upon them." Daniel 8:10
Note, the similar treatment of the ram by the he-goat and "the host and the stars" by the little horn. Both are "cast down to the ground and stamped upon." This shows that both the he-goat and the little horn share a like-hatred for their respective foes, and as the little horn is part of the he-goat, implies that "the host and the stars" are united with the ram.
Summarizing:
Leader
"cast down to the ground
and stamped upon" by...
the he-goat
Disciples
"cast down to the ground
and stamped upon" by...
the little horn
(of/on the he-goat)
To be continued...
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