In the third year of the reign of King Belshazzar a vision appeared to me, Daniel, after that which appeared to me at the first. 2 And I saw in the vision; and when I saw, I was in Susa the citadel, which is in the province of Elam. And I saw in the vision, and I was at the Ulai canal. 3 I raised my eyes and saw, and behold, a ram standing on the bank of the canal. It had two horns, and both horns were high, but one was higher than the other, and the higher one came up last. 4 I saw the ram charging westward and northward and southward. No beast could stand before him, and there was no one who could rescue from his power. He did as he pleased and became great.
5 As I was considering, behold, a male goat came from the west across the face of the whole earth, without touching the ground. And the goat had a conspicuous horn between his eyes. 6 He came to the ram with the two horns, which I had seen standing on the bank of the canal, and he ran at him in his powerful wrath. 7 I saw him come close to the ram, and he was enraged against him and struck the ram and broke his two horns. And the ram had no power to stand before him, but he cast him down to the ground and trampled on him. And there was no one who could rescue the ram from his power. 8 Then the goat became exceedingly great, but when he was strong, the great horn was broken, and instead of it there came up four conspicuous horns toward the four winds of heaven.
9 Out of one of them came a little horn, which grew exceedingly great toward the south, toward the east, and toward the glorious land. 10 It grew great, even to the host of heaven. And some of the host and some of the stars it threw down to the ground and trampled on them. 11 It became great, even as great as the Prince of the host. And the regular burnt offering was taken away from him, and the place of his sanctuary was overthrown. 12 And a host will be given over to it together with the regular burnt offering because of transgression, and it will throw truth to the ground, and it will act and prosper. 13 Then I heard a holy one speaking, and another holy one said to the one who spoke, “For how long is the vision concerning the regular burnt offering, the transgression that makes desolate, and the giving over of the sanctuary and host to be trampled underfoot?” 14 And he said to me, “For 2,300 evenings and mornings. Then the sanctuary shall be restored to its rightful state.”
The Interpretation of the Vision
15 When I, Daniel, had seen the vision, I sought to understand it. And behold, there stood before me one having the appearance of a man. 16 And I heard a man's voice between the banks of the Ulai, and it called, “Gabriel, make this man understand the vision.” 17 So he came near where I stood. And when he came, I was frightened and fell on my face. But he said to me, “Understand, O son of man, that the vision is for the time of the end.”
18 And when he had spoken to me, I fell into a deep sleep with my face to the ground. But he touched me and made me stand up. 19 He said, “Behold, I will make known to you what shall be at the latter end of the indignation, for it refers to the appointed time of the end. 20 As for the ram that you saw with the two horns, these are the kings of Media and Persia. 21 And the goat is the king of Greece. And the great horn between his eyes is the first king. 22 As for the horn that was broken, in place of which four others arose, four kingdoms shall arise from his nation, but not with his power. 23 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. 24 His power shall be great—but not by his own power; and he shall cause fearful destruction and shall succeed in what he does, and destroy mighty men and the people who are the saints. 25 By his cunning he shall make deceit prosper under his hand, and in his own mind he shall become great. Without warning he shall destroy many. And he shall even rise up against the Prince of princes, and he shall be broken—but by no human hand. 26 The vision of the evenings and the mornings that has been told is true, but seal up the vision, for it refers to many days from now.”
27 And I, Daniel, was overcome and lay sick for some days. Then I rose and went about the king's business, but I was appalled by the vision and did not understand it. Daniel 8 ESV
Daniel 8: 1-8
Daniel Whitcomb adds that "The introduction to the book of Daniel (Da 1:1-2:4) and the final chapters of the book beginning at this verse (Da 8:1-12:13) were written in Hebrew with the people of Israel primarily in perspective. Daniel 2:4-7:28 was written in Aramaic, the common commercial language of the Fertile Crescent, to reach an ever wider audience for the sake of witness to the true God of Israel (see comments at 2:4). It is fascinating that the Aramaic section begins and ends with the two perspectives of the four great Gentile kingdoms (Daniel 2 and Daniel 7). Similarly, the book Jeremiah was written mainly to Israel, but the one verse in the book that aims at the wider audience is written in Aramaic and contains a powerful challenge to the false gods of the Gentile world: "Thus you shall say to them, 'The gods that did not make the heavens and the earth shall perish from the earth and from under the heavens' " (Jer. 10:11). (Bolding added)
John Walvoord makes the point that "although many expositors divide the book of Daniel into two halves (1–6 and 7–12), there are also good reasons for dividing Daniel into three sections (Da 1, Da 2–7, Da 8–12). The first of Daniel’s own visions recorded in Daniel 7 is a broad summary of the times of the Gentiles, with emphasis on the climactic events culminating in the second coming of Christ to the earth. Beginning in Daniel 8, Daniel’s second vision concerns the empires of Persia and Greece as they relate to Israel. Under Persian government, Israelites went back to rebuild their land and their city, Jerusalem. Under Grecian domination, in particular under Antiochus Epiphanes, the city and the temple were again desolated. Daniel 9 presents Israel’s history from the time of Ezra and Nehemiah to the inauguration of the kingdom from heaven at the second coming of Christ immediately preceded by the time of great trouble for Israel. Daniel 10–11 reveal the events relating the Persian and Greek Empires to Israel, with emphasis on the Gentile oppression of Israel. The final section, Da 11:36—12:13, deals with the end of the age, the period of the revived Roman Empire, and the deliverance of Israel. It is fitting that the last five chapters of Daniel should be written in Hebrew, the language of Israel. (Daniel 8 The Vision Of The Ram And The Goat) - Precept Austin
In the third year of the reign of king Belshazzar - The visions of the previous chapter were in the first year of the reign of King Belshazzar, a king historians and archeologists found described on the Nabonidus Cylinder, and these visions are in the third year. There is also a transition of language here back to the Hebrew of chapter 1, 2 through 7 were in Aramaic.
A vision appeared to me, Daniel - I saw, and when I saw, he makes note that this is after that which had first appeared to him. Now remember he had received a gift of interpreting other people's dreams, but in chapter 7 he has a vision in his sleep and now one while he is awake. He was troubled by the first, yet there had to come relief after he had excepted it as God's revelation, and then pondered it still further in his heart. Now he seems floored once more, wow, this is happening again. John Macarthur makes a brilliant observation, one like the Psalmist in Psalm 119 makes over and over again.
And as I was thinking about that, I realized that if that was exciting for Daniel, what must it be like for me when I have all of His revelations? What an incredible thought. And sometimes I take it all for granted, and I forget how favored I am to have His Word. What about you? Daniel was overwhelmed. - J Mac
Now think about that, it had to change Daniel's view of the writings of the prophets before him, which he had read, but the awe going back to them after this, oh, and I remember this well, that realization, this is God's Word. It's not a marathon run that you put some bumper stickers on your car, one that says 39 and another 27, no, you read and contemplate these things. They are your instruction, your mirror, your reality, the very words of life from the unchanging Creator of the universe. Daniel had the books of Moses, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and here we have all that plus the words of Christ recorded in the New Testament, Christ who called Himself the Son of Man, referring back to Daniel's writings. You have access to the words of the living God, awe should overtake us every time we open the Book, and we should meditate upon it, asking the Holy Spirit for guidance and understanding.
1Of David. I give You thanks with all my heart; before the gods I sing Your praises. 2I bow down toward Your holy temple and give thanks to Your name for Your loving devotion and Your faithfulness; You have exalted Your name and Your word above all else. 3On the day I called, You answered me; You emboldened me and strengthened my soul.… Psalm 138: 1-3
…18And we ourselves heard this voice from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain. 19 We also have the word of the prophets as confirmed beyond doubt. And you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. 20Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture comes from one’s own interpretation.… 2 Peter 1: 18-20
I was in Susa, the citadel - Susa or Shushan means "lily" and is mentioned in Nehemiah and several times in the book of Esther. It was located 250 miles east of Babylon in what is now modern day Iran.
1These are the words of Nehemiah son of Hacaliah: In the month of Chislev, in the twentieth year, while I was in the citadel of Susa, 2Hanani, one of my brothers, arrived with men from Judah. So I questioned them about the remnant of the Jews who had survived the exile, and also about Jerusalem.… Nehemiah 1: 1-2
1This is what happened in the days of Xerxes, who reigned over 127 provinces from India to Cush. 2In those days King Xerxes sat on his royal throne in the citadel of Susa. 3In the third year of his reign, Xerxes held a feast for all his officials and servants. The military leaders of Persia and Media were there, along with the nobles and princes of the provinces.… Esther 1: 1-3
Susa eventually became one of the capitals of the Persian empire almost 100 years after Daniel's time, when the emperor Xerxes built his royal palace there. Susa is also the site of the main events of the book of Esther (Esther Verse by Verse Commentary on site). Finally, God's man Nehemiah lived in Susa as the king's cupbearer. Nehemiah (in about 445BC, over 100 years after Daniel's vision in Da 8:1) wrote "The words of Nehemiah the son of Hacaliah. Now it happened in the month Chislev, in the twentieth year, while I was in Susa the capitol (Heb = biyrah/bira = same word in Da 8:1 for "citadel"), (Neh 1:1)
Citadel (01002) (biyrah/bira) - 16x - 1Chr 29:1, 19; Neh 1:1; 2:8; 7:2; Esther 1:2, 5; 2:3, 5, 8; 3:15; 8:14; 9:6, 11, 12; Da 8:2. NAS = capitol(1), citadel(11), fortress(2), temple(2). - Precept Austin
I was at the Ulai canal - A 900 foot wide canal in Susa.
Now, what about the river Ulai. Very interesting, very interesting. The word “river” – you see it there; it was by the river? – that is the only time that word for river is ever used in the Bible. It’s in this chapter. It is a very obscure and strange word for river. It is not the normal word for river. Aha, we might assume, then, that whatever the Ulai is, it is not a normal river. Hmm. The archeologists have discovered that running through the area of Shushan, just on the northeast of the city, was an artificial canal built to transport water between two rivers that flowed north and south. It was a river – really a canal 900 feet wide. It was called Ulaus by the classic writers. But it wasn’t a normal river; it was a man-made, 900-foot wide, channel. Amazing. The Spirit of God had a special word for a special kind of river. - J Mac
And behold, a ram standing on the bank of the canal - I was thinking about this, it is interesting the holding these visions in the heart, because I was actually looking for a different way to break these chapters up, to avoid repetition. In actuality, what seems repetitious is actually good review and meditation. He is going to go through the vision and then receive help with understanding it, yet in the end it is still overwhelming to him. I am blessed with retrospect, that while all this is predictive, foresight for Daniel, yet much of it is a part of already recorded history for me. We can look at these coming kingdoms of Medio-Persia and Greece, study their most renown founders and figureheads, but for Daniel it is all future, some of it really far off, some of it truly devastating in regards to his people. So bare with me as I go through this like the other ones. So anyway, the ram, who is the ram?
39 “After you there will arise another kingdom inferior to you, then another third kingdom of bronze, which will rule over all the earth. Daniel 2: 39
5 “And behold, another beast, a second one, resembling a bear. And it was raised up on one side, and three ribs were in its mouth between its teeth; and thus they said to it, ‘Arise, devour much meat!’ Daniel 7:5
It had two horns - Media and Persia
What is Daniel perceiving here? Well, a little bit of history helps us out a lot. Ammianus Marcellinus, who is a fourth century historian, states this: “On all the rulers of Persia, or the Medo-Persian empire, they bore a ram, or the head of a ram, on some part of their garments, or some part of their armor, especially when they went to battle.” Marcellinus says that when a Persian general or a Persian monarch stepped in front of his troops for a battle, he represented a ram somewhere on his attire.
In the signs of the zodiac - which come, of course, from the occult - the sign of the Ram, Aries, has always been connected with Persia. Other historians tell us that the guardian spirit of the Persian kingdom appeared under the form of a ram, with clean feet and sharp hooves. The ram, then, in ancient times, symbolized Persia, the Persian empire. Now, as Daniel watched, he began to see these horns grow. Now, the composite Persian empire had two parts, didn’t it? The Medes, and the Persians; that’s why it was known as the Medo-Persian empire. - J Mac from False Messiahs Part 2
One was higher than the other - So it is kind of lopsided, like a non typical rack, and one part of this kingdom becomes dominant, which is the Persians. So now we have another sister verse to Daniel 7:5 posted above, where the bear favors one side as he walks.
The higher one came up last - The Medes came before the Persians. This is interesting because Daniel is writing this before the events of the writing on the wall, and the Medes would be well known to them, but here is this smaller horn, who will sweep up the Medes, they will become part of Cyrus's army and the lesser known will eventually become the greater horn.
Daniel is saying there will come a Persian empire made up of two parts; one part will be taller than the other, but the taller part will come along later. Now, let me tell you what he means by that. Not long after that, Cyrus came to power. Media was already a major power in the world. In fact, Media had helped the Babylonian empire conquer Assyria in 612 BC.
Media was a major empire; it was a pretty big horn. And there was a little horn - Persia. Persia was relatively insignificant; a very small country, lying to the south; had a total of less than 50,000 square miles - relatively insignificant, out in the middle of nowhere, in a wilderness. But Cyrus was a Persian, and he was a genius, and Cyrus, when he came to power in Persia, began to grow. And though he started later than the Medes, he finally conquered Media in 550 BC, and he made Persia the greatest of the two. - J Mac
Westward, northward and southward - They were in the east, and so they moved from Iran to what is present day Iraq to attack Babylon. Armenia and Scythia were conquered towards the north, and then Ethiopia and Egypt in the south.
No beast could stand before him...he did as he pleased and became great - So that's a ram and a fitting thing if you have ever watched nature shows with wild rams, the males try to gain higher ground on their opponents and then ram them with their horns. Cyrus had a sea of people and they swept the countryside with ease.
1 Thus says the Lord to Cyrus His anointed,
Whom I have taken by the right hand,
To subdue nations before him
And 1to loose the loins of kings;
To open doors before him so that gates will not be shut:
2 “I will go before you and make the 1rough places smooth;
I will shatter the doors of bronze and cut through their iron bars.
3 “I will give you the treasures of darkness
And hidden wealth of secret places,
So that you may know that it is I,
The Lord, the God of Israel, who calls you by your name.
4 “For the sake of Jacob My servant,
And Israel My chosen one,
I have also called you by your name;
I have given you a title of honor
Though you have not known Me.
5 “I am the Lord, and there is no other;
Besides Me there is no God.
I will gird you, though you have not known Me; Isaiah 45: 1-5
In other words, God is going to lay the map in front of this ruler. He’s going to give him an easy road to enter. And the key is, at the end of verse 4, “He did according to his will.” When Cyrus set up the Medo-Persian empire, he was an absolute tyrant; an absolute tyrant; tyrannical dictatorship. So, the rapid progress of Cyrus - in just ten years, from 549 to 539, he conquered the world - and it is suggested by this ram in front of Daniel in his vision. And, of course, in the process, at the end of verse 4, it says, “He became great.”
A better way to translate that Hebrew phrase is he magnified himself; he magnified himself. Cyrus was characterized by two things: self-will - he did what he wanted - and pride. And that’s the way it is with world rulers; in so many cases, they are arrogant, and they are self-willed - read Psalm 2, the folly and stupidity of the world rulers who set themselves up against Christ. - J Mac
As I was considering - It is a lot to take in, and he can go back to Isaiah who predicted the last ruler, Jeremiah who foretold the punishment of nations and he can even go back to his prior vision 2 years earlier, and still further to the image that Nebuchadnezzar saw. That is the best way for us to understand Scripture is to take the whole counsel of God, all that God has given us, read and consider, pray for the Holy Spirit to help you. So we saw the ram, which is the Medio-Persian empire headed by Cyrus.
Behold, a male goat came from the west - What's this, look, a change in what is going on in the vision, a new character comes on to the world stage. The goat is Greece, and we don't have to guess at that, look at verses 20 & 21, the Ram is the Medes and Persians, the goat is the Greek empire.
Without touching the ground - The goat moved very fast, remember the leopard with four wings, this is the Greek empire, also the middle and thighs of bronze from the image in chapter 2. It is the third beast.
…31As you, O king, were watching, a great statue appeared. A great and dazzling statue stood before you, and its form was awesome. 32 The head of the statue was pure gold, its chest and arms were silver, its belly and thighs were bronze, 33its legs were iron, and its feet were part iron and part clay.… Daniel 2: 31-33
6Next, as I watched, another beast appeared. It was like a leopard, and on its back it had four wings like those of a bird. The beast also had four heads, and it was given authority to rule. Daniel 7: 6
The goat had a conspicuous horn between his eyes - A not so typical goat, one horn, between the eyes, like a unicorn. Verse 21 tells us this great horn is the first king of this great world empire, which we know to be Alexander the Great, who came from Greece/Macedonia, which his father Phillip had conquered, and speedily took up his cause all the way to India in the east, south into Africa, where they named a city in Egypt after him, Alexandria.
He ran at him in his powerful wrath - The goat goes after the ram. Some interesting things about Alexander, he was a military genius, a very capable man, and he took rule of the kingdom when he was only 21 years old. He was a very well educated young man, a student of Aristotle, who was a student of the philosopher Plato, who was a student of one of my favorites, Socrates. Socrates was the pinnacle of worldly wisdom, and I would encourage you to read the trial of Socrates, and here is an excerpt recorded by his student Plato, and it fits well with our study here of empires. History repeats itself, and antichrists can know the right things to say, study under brilliant minds, the devil stood before God before he fell, but I want you to see that even in a Democracy there can be tyranny, and pride ultimately hates the truth and refuses to be questioned. It makes a god out of titles and government. Socrates dies for questioning the arrogant, for wanting to seek truth.
SOCRATES, YOU ARE ALSO CHARGED WITH CORRUPTING THE YOUTH OF ATHENS. WHAT DO YOU SAY TO THIS ACCUSATION?
SOCRATES: THIS CHARGE HURTS ME DEEPLY. MY LIFE HAS BEEN A SEARCH FOR TRUTH AND WISDOM.. MY STUDENTS ARE AS DEAR TO ME AS BEAUTY IS TO ATHENS. I COULD NO MORE CORRUPT THEM THAN AN ATHENIAN COULD DEFILE THE PARTHENON. I WANT FOR THEM THE HIGHEST OF PLEASURES AND THE ONE TRUE GOOD: TRUTH!
JUDGE #i: BUT SOCRATES, YOU HAVE CAUSED THEM TO QUESTION THE COUNCIL, THE MAGISTRATES, THE VERY DEMOCRACY OF ATHENS. THEY FOLLOW YOU THROUGH ATHENS AND LISTEN TO QUESTIONS. THEY SEE THE IRRITATION YOU CAUSE. THEY LEARN YOUR METHOD OF QUESTIONING, AND THEY BECOME LIKE YOU. WHEN THEY ARE OLDER, THEY WILL BECOME CITIZENS AND WILL TAKE A RESPONSIBLE ROLE IN THE GOVERNMENT. HOW CAN THEY DO THIS IF THEY ARE CONSTANTLY TEARING DOWN OUR DEMOCRACY BY SUCH QUESTONS? IT IS COMMONLY KNOWN THAT YOU HAVE CRITICIZED OUR DEMOCRACY AS CORRUPT. WE CANNOT CONTINUE TO LET YOU TEACH OUR YOUNG MEN.
SOCRATES: IT IS TRUE THAT I ENCOURAGE MY STUDENTS TO QUESTION EVERYTHING, AND THAT I TEACH THEM METHODS I USE MYSELF. I DO THIS NOT TO MAKE THEM DISLOYAL TO ATHENS, BUT TO MAKE THEM THINK. IN ORDER TO FIND WISDOM AND TRUTH THEY MUST QUESTION. DO THE JUDGES SEE THE SEARCH FOR TRUTH AS A CORRUPTING INFLUENCE?
JUDGE #3: I WARN YOU, SOCRATES; DO NOT BE INSOLENT WITH US!
NARRATOR: NOISE AND CONFUSION FILL THE CHAMBERS AS TWO YOUNG MEN HURRY TOWARD THE JUDGES.
JUDGE #1: WHO ARE THESE MEN?
PLATO: I AM PLATO AND (POINTING TO COMPANION:) THIS IS XENOPHON. WE ARE STUDENTS OF SOCRATES.
JUDGE #1: WHAT DO YOU WANT? YOU ARE INTERRUPTING A TRIAL.
XENOPHON: WE HAVE COME TO SPEAK ON BEHALF OF OUR BELOVED TEACHER, SOCRATES. WE FEAR FOR HIS LIFE AND BELIEVE WE ARE BEST ABLE TO SPEAK OF HIS TEACHING.
JUDGE #2: VERY WELL, WE WILL ALLOW YOU TO SPEAK.
XENOPHON: SOCRATES IS A GOOD AND KIND TEACHER. I HAVE NEVER SEEN HIM DO WRONG TO ANY MAN OR FAIL TO WANT OTHER MEN TO DO GOOD. HE MAKES US WORK HARD TO FIND THE TRUTH. WE LEARN TO QUESTION EVERYTHING: WHAT IS JUST? WHAT IS UNJUST? WHAT IS COURAGE? WHAT IS COWARDICE? WHAT IS GOOD GOVERNMENT? WHO SHOULD GOVERN? HE MAKES US THINK ABOUT OURSELVES AND OUR WORLD.
JUDGE #3: HAS SOCRATES EVER TAUGHT YOU TO QUESTION OUR DEMOCRACY? - From the Trial of Socrates
And he was enraged against him - Oh the downward cycle of all things, how appropriately was Adam and Eve's sin called "the Fall", and it has continued that direction ever since. Some in our world have been duped into thinking that humanity is evolving, growing better all the time. Now why did he use the word enraged? Well, this came from a young man's ideology, a fierceness he passed along to his men; they were hungry for the armies of Persia, and even beat them when they were outnumbered. They considered them a near threat but also beneath them, for they were Greeks and everyone else was not. So with the energy of a young man, the mind of a genius, the ideology of someone who does not see men as made in the image of God, he terrorizes and subdues the known world in about 12 years, a vast kingdom.
When Alexander was thirteen, his father, Philip of Macedon, decided that the boy needed a first-class teacher, and he chose Aristotle. Aristotle believed that slavery was natural, that all barbarians (non-Greeks) were slaves by nature, and, consequently, that it was only right that Greeks should rule over barbarians. These view were heady stuff for the already ambitious Alexander.
After the death of his father, Alexander's first task was to thrash into submission the independent Greek city-states—something he did with characteristic speed and thoroughness. Very early, he displayed an uncanny trait of always being able to discern the enemy's tactics in advance. His treatment of the recalcitrant city of Thebes warned others of his ruthlessness. When he finally took the city, he handed it over to wholesale butchery and debauchery and sold the survivors as slaves. The other Greek states rushed to make their peace with the terrible new king. (Exploring the Book of Daniel: An Expository Commentary) - Precept Austin
But when he was strong, the great horn was broken - The goat, being the kingdom, was strong, but then something happened. The great horn, which was Alexander, died, at the age of 33 years old. His life was fast, and his death came young. He was a drunk, who some think died choking on his own puke. My Lord also died at age 33, oddly enough, but as much as Alexander accomplished, he did not conquer sin and death, he will not reign for eternity. All these foreshadow the final antichrist, and they will all fall short, including the last one. They all magnify themselves and yet they are all put out like a candle.
…14My hand reached as into a nest to seize the wealth of the nations. Like one gathering abandoned eggs, I gathered all the earth. No wing fluttered, no beak opened or chirped.’ ” 15Does an axe raise itself above the one who swings it? Does a saw boast over him who saws with it? It would be like a rod waving the one who lifts it, or a staff lifting him who is not wood! 16Therefore the Lord GOD of Hosts will send a wasting disease among Assyria’s stout warriors, and under his pomp will be kindled a fire like a burning flame.… Isaiah 10: 14-16
So when Daniel records that Alexander magnified himself, it appears to speak most directly to his self magnification. To be sure his genius as one of the world's greatest military strategists garnered a considerable "magnification" from both his friends and his foes, but this verse suggests an additional magnification, a selfish innate arrogance. In a sense, Alexander (as alluded to above), much like the Antichrist will do, attempted to put himself in the position of highest esteem among men, a position that ultimately belongs to God alone (cp 2Th 2:3, 4). And so we are not surprised that Alexander was quickly "cut down" in the prime of his power. God is steadfastly and forever arrayed against those who would be proud and seek the glory that belongs to Him alone (cp a "good prayer" for each of us = Ps 115:1-note). As believers, we do well to be reminded of this important truth, lest we stop up the supernatural life giving flow of His grace in our lives, even as described by James who states that God… - Precept Austin
…5Or do you think the Scripture says without reason that the Spirit He caused to dwell in us yearns with envy? 6But He gives us more grace. This is why it says: “ God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” 7Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.… James 4: 5-7
Four conspicuous horns...four winds of heaven - Now these are the 4 generals under Alexander to whom the kingdom was divided, and it was never the same after his death, there was much in fighting.
Now, listen to that. It was literally at the height of his strength that he was broken, and he was defeated by his own sinfulness. When he was strong, he was broken, “and four” - or “in its place, came up four notable ones toward the four winds of heaven.” In Alexander’s place came up four new leaders; that’s what the Bible says will happen, a couple hundred years before it happened, and that’s exactly what happened. Listen: when Alexander died, his empire was divided among four generals, remember? Cassander, Lysimachus, Seleucus, and Ptolemy. And what does it say? Toward the four winds.
Cassander took the west: that was Macedonia and Greece. Lysimachus took the north: Thrace, Bithynia, and Asia Minor. Seleucus took the east: Syria, Babylonia and east. And Ptolemy took the south: Egypt, Israel, Arabia. You want to know what fascinates me? You say, “Well, it just all fell into place, ‘cause all he had was four generals.” It took 22 years - 22 years of the most incredible intrigues, and the most unbelievable historical events, until those things were divided into four.
Twenty-two years after Alexander died, they finally got those four divisions, and those were 22 years of subterfuge and infighting among all the generals of Alexander, that finally ended up with four. And there was a fifth who hung on to the last, named Antigonus, but at the very last, he was defeated and shoved out, and there were four. And I’ll tell you something. If Antigonus had gotten in there, you could take your Bible and put it away, because it would’ve been wrong; but it wasn’t. - J Mac
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