[8:15] I was trying to understand what the vision meant, when suddenly someone was standing in front of me.
[8:16] I heard a voice call out over the Ulai River, “Gabriel, explain to him the meaning of what he saw.”
[8:17] Gabriel came and stood beside me, and I was so terrified that I fell to the ground. He said to me, “Mortal man, understand the meaning. The vision has to do with the end of the world.”
[8:18] While he was talking, I fell to the ground unconscious. But he took hold of me, raised me to my feet,
[8:19] and said, “I am showing you what the result of God's anger will be. The vision refers to the time of the end.
[8:20] “The ram you saw that had two horns represents the kingdoms of Media and Persia.
[8:21] The goat represents the kingdom of Greece, and the prominent horn between his eyes is the first king.
[8:22] The four horns that came up when the first horn was broken represent the four kingdoms into which that nation will be divided and which will not be as strong as the first kingdom.
[8:23] “When the end of those kingdoms is near and they have become so wicked that they must be punished, there will be a stubborn, vicious, and deceitful king.
[8:24] He will grow strong—but not by his own power. He will cause terrible destruction and be successful in everything he does. He will bring destruction on powerful men and on God's own people.
[8:25] Because he is cunning, he will succeed in his deceitful ways. He will be proud of himself and destroy many people without warning. He will even defy the greatest King of all, but he will be destroyed without the use of any human power.
[8:26] This vision about the evening and morning sacrifices which has been explained to you will come true. But keep it secret now, because it will be a long time before it does come true.”
[8:27] I was depressed and ill for several days. Then I got up and went back to the work that the king had assigned to me, but I was puzzled by the vision and could not understand it.