Daniel 8:1–8 (NIV)

In the third year of King Belshazzar’s reign, I, Daniel, had a vision, after the one that had already appeared to me. In my vision I saw myself in the citadel of Susa in the province of Elam; in the vision I was beside the Ulai Canal. I looked up, and there before me was a ram with two horns, standing beside the canal, and the horns were long. One of the horns was longer than the other but grew up later. I watched the ram as it charged toward the west and the north and the south. No animal could stand against it, and none could rescue from its power. It did as it pleased and became great.

As I was thinking about this, suddenly a goat with a prominent horn between its eyes came from the west, crossing the whole earth without touching the ground. It came toward the two-horned ram I had seen standing beside the canal and charged at it in great rage. I saw it attack the ram furiously, striking the ram and shattering its two horns. The ram was powerless to stand against it; the goat knocked it to the ground and trampled on it, and none could rescue the ram from its power. The goat became very great, but at the height of its power the large horn was broken off, and in its place four prominent horns grew up toward the four winds of heaven.

As we’ll see later (in verse 20), the ram represents the Medo-Persian empire. After the Babylonian Empire, the Persians become dominant. So, that horn grows larger.

The goat is the Greek empire and the first horn is Alexander the Great. But Alexander only lives to be 32 years old. The four horns that grew in its place represent the four generals who take over after him: Antigonus, Philip, Ptolemy, and Seleucus Nicator.

But Daniel doesn’t know these names (and presumably wouldn’t care). What does this dream mean to him? How is it useful to him or to his readers? What is God’s purpose in this dream?

What matters is what’s in the dream. The ram seems invincible. No animal could stand against it, and none could rescue from its power. It did as it pleased and became great.

Yet, it’s nothing compared to the goat. The goat is even more invincible, but at the height of its power the large horn was broken off. It seems that everyone is doing great until they get too great, then they’re nothing.

Just as it was with the Ancient of Days showing up in the previous dream, we see that kings and principalities aren’t as great as we think they are.

This is the lesson for us. We live in an insane culture of celebrity. We deify actors, musicians and sports stars. We put them on a pedestal so high it almost qualifies as worship.

And the worst part is what it does to those stars. Just look at what happened to Ravi Zacharias. Everyone looked up to him—too much. He had no one he could talk to, no one he could confide in.

That’s a dangerous burden for anyone.

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Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. ESV stands for the English Standard Version. © Copyright 2001 by Crossway. Used by permission. All rights reserved. NIV stands for The Holy Bible, New International Version®. © Copyright 1973 by International Bible Society. Used by permission. All rights reserved. KJV stands for the King James Version.