Daniel 8:9-14 “Trampled Truth”
Last month I was sick with the cold that it seems everybody got at one time or another over the last few months. My voice was scratchy. I was coughing at times uncontrollably. So, it was a Wednesday night and I just decided that there was no use for me to come into the choir practice that night. My ears were also giving me trouble. I probably could not have even heard the music correctly!
At home that evening, I decided to turn on our worship service that is taped for broadcast just to see how it was looking these days. I turned on the television. Tuned to the right channel. In front of me was a goat. Yes, I had a vision of a goat just like Daniel. However, I should have been seeing our worship service. Admittedly, I was not wearing my glasses and it had been awhile since my last haircut, but I was sure I couldn’t look that bad on television.
As it turned out, the TV station had inadvertently dropped our worship and put this other show with the goat on. The man in this other program talked about how he would not eat meat because he believed in reincarnation, and hence the goat might be his father. I thought this was interesting—not worth of my time however. I turned off the television. Then, I thought that maybe I should tune back in to find out the guy’s name. If his father is a goat, I wondered if his name was “Billy.”
In the vision of the goat that Daniel has, we see that out of the goat grows a thing that stands against the host, against the prince, against God. This thing is described as a horn with eyes. I am not sure we know what that actually means, but on the page over we read how the goat stands for the Kingdom of Greece according to the angel Gabriel that is sent to interpret the dream. We also learn that the vision is for the end time.
Out of this comes what I believe to be the crux of the vision as it relates to us today. I am looking at verse 12, “Because of wickedness, the host was given over to it together with the regular burnt offerings, it cast truth to the ground, and kept prospering in what it did.” This is a clear description of the Great Deceiver, whom we call Satan or the Antichrist of the end time.
How should we understand that “truth” is cast to the ground? After all, truth is something intangible and ethereal in nature. Some might even argue that there really is not any one truth at all. That is not my argument. I know that there is one truth, the Great Truth of God.
In fact, the Hebrew word for “Truth” in this passage is “emeth.” The root of that word means to be firm, solid, and stable. It denotes strength. This is not some relative wishy-washy term to denote what might seem as true to some. This term markedly denotes the singular strength of Truth. Please also know that the root of this word “emeth” is the same root used for the Hebrew word “amen.” It is the same idea. One is a gerund and the other is an imperative verb. They really are the same word. When you say “Amen,” you are asking for whatever it is to be true. Amen? Let it be true! Let it be strong! Let it be firm!
In John 14:6, we have all come to know this famous verse in which Christ tells us that He is the “Way, the Truth and the Life.” The truth is a person? Yes. Simply put the truth is indeed a person so far as we are called to have a PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP to the Truth.
As in any personal relationship, one goes through various phases of discovery with the other person. The first phase is simply getting to know the other person, or in this case, getting to know the Truth. This is NOT the same as learning the factual truth of a situation. For instance, I know that Al Gore, the former Vice President under Bill Clinton, and his wife Tipper have filed for divorce. However, I do not know Al Gore nor Tipper personally.
We can apply this same understanding to the Truth. I can say, “I know Jesus Christ died on the Cross.” That is true. However, the relational truth is “Jesus died on the Cross for me to take all my sins upon himself to make me worthy to be with God in heaven once more.” There is huge difference between knowing that someone died and knowing that someone died for you!
Do you remember that great feeling when you first meet someone, and you think that this person might become a good friend? I always say that the first few days when you know somebody are the best! Then, as the story goes, you begin to see that that other person is maybe not quite as wonderful when you first met them. You begin to notice their bad habits. Maybe they eat too quickly or must always have things their way.
It is in many ways the same when you make a personal relationship with the Truth. The truth can seem really good in the beginning. Then, maybe you begin to feel that the truth is sometimes a little harsh and hard to get along with. You begin to feel that the lies that you used to live with were “cozy.” Maybe, you think, it would be better to go back to living the lies? Even though it is sometimes hard, I implore you to stay with the Truth!
The next step in this personal relationship is worth it! Now that you have gotten to know the Truth, have become more than acquainted, you begin to really love the Truth! At this point, you realize that you could not ever live your life without the Truth. It has become inseparable from your very soul. You absolutely love the Truth. You could not love anything else as much as you love the Truth.
I want us to turn to 2 Timothy 3:1-7, “You must understand this that in the last days distressing times will come. For people will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money. . . .(7) Who are always being instructed and can never arrive at a knowledge of the truth.” This is the problem we face today in our world as the end time approaches that people are so in love with themselves or in love with money and things that you cannot even introduce a knowledge of the truth to them much less have them get into a personal relationship that might lead them to actually love the Truth.
We as Christians, followers of Christ, are called to fall in love with the Truth. One of my favorite passages of the Bible is Revelation 21. In verse nine, we read, “Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven plagues came and said to me ‘Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.’” As the chapter continues, we soon realize that we, all of us, as the church are the Bride of Christ! When you really love the Truth, the personal relationship becomes that like a young bride and groom. The feelings are intense. The thought of separation is unbearable. Truth loves you right back! That is the kind of relationship that Christians have with the Truth!
Turn in your Bibles one more time to the Gospel of John where Jesus is instructing His disciples in the matters of truth and love, John 15:12-13, “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” You have come to know the Truth. You have fallen in love with the Truth. Are you now willing to lay down your life in sacrifice for the Truth?
In Chapter 8 of Daniel, we heard in our scripture reading from verse 12 of that chapter that “truth is cast down to the ground.” The holy host is trampled. We know that Jesus is the Truth. And, when I read this part of Daniel my mind automatically clicks over to the passion of Christ, our Lord Jesus being kicked and trampled by soldiers before his crucifixion. My heart weeps because I know what it means that Truth is being trampled. This is not just a pretty metaphor in a piece of ancient literature. This is my Lord Jesus Christ, whom I love and who loves me, being kicked to the ground.
Two weeks ago on the news we all saw the story of a politician on the mainland (I know I don’t need to name names) who was caught on videotape saying one thing, which later he denied having said. News organizations were having that so-called “field day” showing the two videos of this man concurrently saying one thing and denying it at the same time. That was the Truth being trampled and kicked to the ground.
While I was watching this, I was thinking that God in heaven has those two videos running side by side for us all the time. Every time we speak words that are untrue and God knows this because he knows our hearts, then we ourselves are trampling the Truth, throwing it down on the ground.
Our Lord sacrificed His own life on the Cross that we would have that personal relationship with the Truth. Because we know the Truth, and because we Love the Truth, we are called to make a similar sacrifice. At least, in the very least, we are called to stand up for what is True in this world. We are called to stand up for our beloved Truth. We are called to take a hit or two sometimes for the Truth. We do so gladly. We cannot stand to see the Truth being trampled again.
Come to know the Truth. Come to fall in love with the Truth. Come to sacrifice out of that love for the Truth.
Amen—so let it be true!