Opening the Text

1. Apocalyptic literature like Daniel 8 is not primarily about predicting the future—it's about "unveiling" reality, giving us a God's-eye view of the world. How does this change the way you approach strange texts like this one?

    2. Read Daniel 8:1-8 together. Daniel sees a ram with two horns (the Medo-Persian empire) and a goat with a large                    horn (Greece and Alexander the Great). What is striking about how these kingdoms are depicted—as animals                        charging, trampling, and destroying?

    3. In Genesis 1-2, humans were given dominion over the animals and called to care for creation. How does depicting               empires as unruly, trampling animals connect to the biblical story of creation's distortion through sin?

The Nature of Earthly Power

   4. Read Daniel 8:9-12. A "small horn" rises up that grows exceedingly great, casts down the hosts of heaven, stops the               daily sacrifices, and even seems to stand against God himself. What does this vision reveal about how the forces of             this world operate?

   5. Read Daniel 8:23-25. This ruler "will cause deceit to prosper" and "consider himself superior," destroying many—yet                 verse 25 says "he will be destroyed, but not by human power." Why is it significant that God alone defeats this power?

   6. These visions show empires as distortions of what was meant for good. Romans 13 says government is given for                     justice and the common good. How do we hold together the truth that earthly powers have a legitimate role and that           they can become instruments of evil?

   7. What are the dangers of equating any nation, political movement, or leader with the Kingdom of God? How does                   Daniel 8 guard us against this temptation?

Where We Place Our Hope

   8. When facing an empire or power that seems unstoppable, the temptation is either despair or looking for another                    force to crush it. Why are both of these responses inadequate according to this text?

   9. The phrase "not by human power" (v. 25) points us away from military might, political revolution, or human strategy as         our ultimate hope. Where then should exiles place their hope when the powers of this world seem overwhelming?

  10. Read Daniel 8:17, 26-27. Daniel is overwhelmed, terrified, and even made ill by this vision. Why do you think seeing                   reality clearly—seeing the world as God sees it—would be so disturbing?

Living as Faithful Exiles

   1. How does having an "apocalyptic" view of the world—seeing earthly powers as distorted and temporary, and God's                Kingdom as the only everlasting one—shape the way we live day to day?

   12. Jesus defeated the powers of this world not by crushing them with force, but by absorbing their violence on the cross         and rising again. How does the way Christ conquered shape how we as his followers engage with the powers and                 conflicts of our world?

   13. We live under the weight of earthly powers, yet we are citizens of an everlasting Kingdom that has already won. What          is one area of your life where you are tempted to place your hope in political power, human strategy, or worldly force            rather than in Christ alone?