In Daniel 8 we see another prophetic vision of the end times presented to Daniel. This one is more confusing than the one presented in chapter 7. This new vision is one of a Ram basically rampaging around the world, while a goat stops this rampage. The second half of the chapter helps to explain the vision, but it is still something confusing to us even today.
Many of these visions are meant to convey God’s all-encompassing power. Remember, we have not had the glory of Christ at this point. This was still a world that operated on a system of sacrifices to atone for sins. They also worshipped God directly. They did not have Christ acting as an intermediary. Because of that, God worked with them more directly, like through visions such as this, than He does today.
27 I, Daniel, was exhausted and lay ill for several days. Then I got up and went about the king's business. I was appalled by the vision; it was beyond understanding. – Daniel 8:27
To me, this is a very telling verse in this chapter. It had to be a frightening vision if Daniel, a man of God, was terrified and ill from it. This was a man that saw his friends survive the fiery furnace because of God’s direct intervention. He himself survived a night in the lion’s den with God’s intervention. I can’t imagine how terrifying these past two visions were to see firsthand.
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