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Daniel 8:23
ESV And at the latter end of their kingdom, when the transgressors have reached their limit, a king of bold face, one who understands riddles, shall arise.
NIV In the latter part of their reign, when rebels have become completely wicked, a fierce-looking king, a master of intrigue, will arise.
NASB And in the latter period of their dominion, When the wrongdoers have run their course, A king will arise, Insolent and skilled in intrigue.
CSB Near the end of their kingdoms, when the rebels have reached the full measure of their sin, a ruthless king, skilled in intrigue, will come to the throne.
NLT At the end of their rule, when their sin is at its height, a fierce king, a master of intrigue, will rise to power.
KJV 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.

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).
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