Matthew Henry Commentary Daniel 8:15-27

"And it came to pass, when I, even I Daniel, had seen the vision, that I sought to understand it; and, behold, there stood before me as the appearance of a man. And I heard a man`s voice between [the banks of] the Ulai, which called, and said, Gabriel, make this man to understand the vision. So he came near where I stood; and when he came, I was affrighted, and fell upon my face: but he said unto me, Understand, O son of man; for the vision belongeth to the time of the end. Now as he was speaking with me, I fell into a deep sleep with my face toward the ground; but he touched me, and set me upright. And he said, Behold, I will make thee know what shall be in the latter time of the indignation; for it belongeth to the appointed time of the end. The ram which thou sawest, that had the two horns, they are the kings of Media and Persia. And the rough he-goat is the king of Greece: and the great horn that is between his eyes is the first king. And as for that which was broken, in the place whereof four stood up, four kingdoms shall stand up out of the nation, but not with his power. And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall stand up. And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power; and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper and do [his pleasure]; and he shall destroy the mighty ones and the holy people. And through his policy he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and in [their] security shall he destroy many: he shall also stand up against the prince of princes; but he shall be broken without hand. And the vision of the evenings and mornings which hath been told is true: but shut thou up the vision; for it belongeth to many days [to come]. And I, Daniel, fainted, and was sick certain days; then I rose up, and did the king`s business: and I wondered at the vision, but none understood it." — Daniel 8:15-27 (ASV)

The eternal Son of God stood before the prophet in the appearance of a man, and directed the angel Gabriel to explain the vision. Daniel's fainting and astonishment at the prospect of the evils he saw coming upon his people and the church confirm the view that long-continued calamities were foretold. When the vision ended, Daniel was instructed to keep it private for the time being.

He kept it to himself and continued to perform the duties of his position. As long as we live in this world, we must have work to do in it; and even those whom God has most honoured must not consider themselves above their responsibilities. Nor must the pleasure of communion with God lead us away from the duties of our callings, but in performing them, we must remain with God.

All who are entrusted with public responsibilities must carry out their duties with integrity; and, amidst all doubts and discouragements, they may, if they are true believers, look forward to a positive outcome. Thus, we should endeavour to prepare our minds to attend to the duties to which each of us is appointed, in the church and in the world.