Daniel 8:18-22 - Daniel regains his composure and Gabriel tells him about his vision: it's about "the appointed time of the end." Gabriel briefly states the meaning of the great ram and the shaggy goat, but that's just a prelude to what Gabriel has been ordered to explain. Daniel learns here what he will tell King Belshazzar 12 years later. Daniel's exemplary character becomes a chief point of this lesson.