Sermon: Daniel 8, “God’s Victory is Not Dependent on the Present Moment” October 26, 2025

Scripture: Daniel 8

Preacher: Rev. Ryan Slifka

“God’s Victory is Not Dependent on the Present Moment”

Here we are again in our sermon series on the Old Testament’s Book of Daniel.

Last week, Gerry Schoberg introduced us to apocalyptic literature with Daniel chapter 7. Daniel had a vision of four beasts rising out of the sea, a scary beast with ten horns, then another horn with an arrogant mouth, a cosmic judge on a throne of fire. Then “one like a Son of Man” riding in on the clouds to take dominion over the earth. After putting the great beast to death. You know, the usual.

All kidding aside, Gerry helpfully pointed out that the purpose of all of this weirdness was to give Jews living under persecution hope. The beasts symbolized the great empires from Babylon to the Persians and Medes and finally the Greeks. And the promise being that in spite of the seeming invincibility of all these empires, God’s people could take heart. Because God would not abandon his people, and that behind the curtain of history, God would triumph over all of them.

Today’s scripture, chapter 8 continues not only the weird imagery, but also the meaning behind it. This time, rather than being beside a sea, Daniel’s transported to a river beside the city of Susa, in Persia. Persia being the latest empire to take control over the kingdom of Judea. Unlike the last chapter, which was a dream, this one’s a vision. This happens while Daniel’s wide awake. Like the last chapter, though, he has no idea what he’s going on, so a heavenly being lets him in on its meaning. This time, it’s the angel Gabriel. The one who eventually visits Mary to deliver news that she was going to be pregnant. With Jesus.

First, there’s a Ram, a male sheep by the river. It’s got two horns, one longer than the other, and it rampages north and west and south, overpowering every other animal in its way. That’s the empire of the Medes and Persians,  Gabriel tells Daniel. The Medes being the smaller horn and the Persians being the bigger. Remember the Babylonians who conquered your people and dragged you off to Babylon in exile? Their time’s numbered, and Babylon is gonna be trampled.

But then there’s a male goat with one big horn that appears on the scene, straight from the west. It takes one leap in the air and goes from one end of the earth without touching the ground. It barrels right into the ram, smashing both its horns, knocking it to the ground and trampling it to death. “The goat,” says Gabriel, “the goat is the original GOAT (Greatest of All Time)–Alexander the Great, the King of the Greeks. This guy’s gonna conquer the known world, crushing Media and Persia in the process. They may have beat Babylon, but their days are numbered, too.

Suddenly, though, that giant horn on the goat gets busted in half. Then four more giant horns push that original horn out of the way. “These,” says Gabriel, “these are the four kingdoms that will arise out of that empire, but they won’t be as strong as him” He doesn’t give these ones a name, but they are presumably the four kingdoms that arose after Alexander’s death in 323 B.C, when his empire was divided among his four generals. Alexander may have crushed Persia, who crushed Babylon. But his days’ll be numbered, as well, and he, too, will fall. With a whole new set of nations rising up in his place.

And just when you didn’t think things could get any stranger, we zoom in on one of the four horns on the goat’s head. On that horn–zoop! Grows another horn. One that just grows and grows and grows until it’s bigger than all the rest. So big that it reaches heaven, and throws down some stars. It charges towards what’s called the “beautiful land,” into the heavenly sanctuary, defiling its offerings and even making war with the prince of angels. It continues its rampage, and the heavenly beings ask eachother how long this abomination is supposed to last. To which the other replies “2300 days and nights.” Then the sanctuary’ll be restored.

Now, again, Gabriel doesn’t tell Daniel who it is. But it is almost certainly Antiochus Epiphanes IV, who Gerry told us all about this past week. The King of the Eastern Greek kingdom. Which is no surprise, considering that he was the king when the book of Daniel was finalized.

He invades “the beautiful land” which is the kingdom of Judea, the home of God’s people. He desecrates the Jerusalem temple, setting up foreign pagan gods on the altar, and persecutes God’s people. And the stars of heaven and war waged with the heavenly host? Basically in waging war on the temple and God’s people, he’s waging a cosmic war against God. 

But this desecration won’t last forever. It’ll last for 2300 days and nights (roughly 3 years) and then the persecution will be over. He’ll prosper and think himself great, but he himself will be broken like all the other beasts before him. This time not by a human hand, but not by human hands–the hand of God. Even his time’s numbered, too.

So like the vision of the beasts in Daniel 7, this vision of rams and goats and horns waging war on heaven, it’s all about the spiritual battle going on under the surface of things. It’s written to reassure God’s people. To encourage them in faithfulness against the odds, and to inspire hope. That none of the powers that oppress them are invincible or immortal. But each will meet their end, by the power of the living God. That in spite of present circumstances, the God of Israel is indeed greater than the gods of Babylon, or Persia, or Greece. Like all the other beasts before it, no matter how powerful or antagonistic, this goat is destined to be stew. Like all the rest.

Which is a lesson, of course, that countless people in history have needed to hear. That no power or oppressor can keep power forever.

Remember how the word “apocalyptic” means in Greek “unveiling.” That it’s a peek behind the curtain of reality, a snapshot under the surface of things? Behind the veil is what the hymn we started the service with “a power above all powers” that will not let them stand forever. It has inspired Jews in exile, Christians under the thumb of the Roman Empire. African-Americans in the chains of slavery, and Black South Africans under the yoke of Apartheid. Martin Niemoller, a German pastor who was imprisoned by the Nazis during the Second World War was arrested for claiming that Hitler wasn’t his Fuhrer, his supreme leader but that, “God is my Fuhrer.” Him, and other Jews and Christians like him were able to face the worst regime in our present memory with courage. They were kept from hopelessness by the doctrine of divine sovereignty.

This is a lesson especially those of us who are disheartened by the state of the world or paralyzed by the state of politics–whether here or elsewhere. It means that no matter how dire the situation may be, it’s not the end. That though history might seem like the procession of one beast after the other, all are destined to be dust. All will eventually be broken. And not by human hands.

And you know what the beauty is? This promise goes beyond oppressive power or politics. But to the very root of human life itself.

Like all of our other stories in Daniel, this one points us forward to the New Testament, and to Jesus. But whereas Daniel’s vision invites us to see the rise and fall of ancient empires as a source of hope under political oppression, the New Testament invites us to see one event as a source of hope in the face of the power behind all the other powers. Not only has God gone to battle with the great empires, God has won a decisive victory over the source of despair, violence and destruction that plagues the human heart. It is in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ that the powers of sin, death, and evil, like the great horned goat, have been broken. Not by human hands. But by the hands of the Creator himself, nailed to a cross. And though they may trample God’s people now, though they may wreak destruction in every corner of our lives, like the great empires, their days are numbered.

Which means that it’s not only good news for those who struggle under political oppression, but all who struggle under oppression of any kind.

A friend of mine, who is a minister, has struggled with depression since his teens. There are times where he says the whole world feels bleak, and grey. The worst part about it, though, has always been the hopelessness he feels. Like the world is not only a terrible place to be, but pointless. It comes in regular cycles, they’ve never been able to pinpoint what brings it on. It just comes, and his spirit is laid low.

Now, he was told by a youth pastor when he was younger if he’d truly have faith, then God would heal him of his depression. He’d heard similar exhortations from secular friends to have a more “positive attitude.” Unfortunately, though, it never seemed to work. There’d be times where he felt absolutely alive, convinced of the reality of God, ready to face anything. But then the depression would reliably return. So my friend oscillated between feeling like a failure for not trying hard enough to conjure enough faith, and disbelieving in God entirely because it just didn’t seem fair. Medications–thank God–dulled the worst feelings. But try as he might, nothing seemed to pull him out. Nothing seemed to provide a long-lasting or permanent fix.

Try as he might, nothing would stave it off. But then something changed. He was discussing his depression with a long-time friend, one who is also a Minister. And this Minister gave him some advice, advice that wasn’t really advice at all. “God’s victory,” he said. “God’s victory is not dependent on how you feel at the present moment.” God’s victory is not dependent on how you feel at the present moment. This wasn’t advice… this was proclamation. It said that even though his depression seemed invincible, he could take heart in the face that God was at work even when he was in the midst of it. While this did nothing to cure his depression, my friend said. It gave him hope. Hope that he would get through it. Not only in the near future, but one day for good. Even when he was depressed, God gave him this to cling to. And it somehow made it bearable.

And I have to say, this has changed the way I approach times in my life like this, too. It’s also changed the way we parent with our kids. Unfortunately, due to our technological success we think that there’s a fix for everything. But the truth is that we can’t always fix things for ourselves, or for our kids. Whether it’s the state of the world, or the state of our spirits, there is always some ram or crazy horned goat that’s gonna get up in their business. But what we can give them what our ancestors in faith have given us: a hope that will sustain them through anything and everything. From political pressure to depression, unemployment, all kinds of heartache and loss. Even death itself. The conviction that there is a God, and that God’s victory isn’t dependent on how we feel at any particular moment. That will get them through it. Until that great, final, glorious day when death itself is swallowed up in victory. When God is all in all.

So, dear friends, whether you’re paralyzed by politics, whether you’re laid down by depression. Or gazing fearfully at the grave. Ram, goat or otherwise, whatever is rampaging your spirit or has your soul pinned to the ground, crying out “how long?” You can take heart. Because God’s victory is not dependent on the state of the present moment, or any moment. But that beast shall be broken, and not by human hands. You need not give in to fear, or over to hopelessness because there is a power above all powers. The prince of princes, the Prince of Peace. In Jesus Christ, crucified and risen, you and I have been given a hope that can overcome anything in the world. Whether today, or tomorrow, or any other day. Because God is faithful, you and I will make it through. No matter what.

I offer this to you in the name of the Father and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.