What does Daniel 8:23 mean?
The angel Gabriel (Daniel 8:16) continues to explain Daniel's vision (Daniel 8:1–2). A fast-moving goat has overcome a prior rival, but its horn shattered and was replaced with four others (Daniel 8:5–8). From that, another horn arises only to be associated with terrible evil (Daniel 8:9–12). This predicts the rise of Alexander the Great, whose rapid conquest would end in his sudden death and the division of his territory among four successors. It also warns of an infamous persecutor of Israel, who himself foreshadows events of the end times.Interpreters vary in their identification of this bold-faced, highly intelligent king. The best fit for the depiction seems to be Antiochus IV Epiphanes, who gained the throne in the early 2nd century BC. He warred with other remnants of Alexender's conquests and heavily persecuted the Jewish people. Epiphanes spitefully outlawed Jewish religious practices and defiled the temple by sacrificing an unclean pig and spreading its blood everywhere.
This also seems to be a dual-fulfillment prophecy. At times, prophecy has a short-term completion which, itself, predicts another fulfillment later. The figure depicted in this part of Daniel's vision appears to be both Epiphanes and the end-times person commonly called "the Antichrist" (Revelation 13:14–15).