In Daniel, chapter 8, Daniel reveals his third vision. In this vision, Daniel saw a ram with two horns which was destroyed by a goat with one prominent horn.

Dan 8:3
3 Then I lifted my eyes and saw, and there, standing beside the river, was a ram which had two horns, and the two horns were high; but one was higher than the other, and the higher one came up last. (NKJ)

The ram represents the Medo-Persian Empire. History reveals that the Medes dominated the empire first, but then the Persians ascended to power and became even more powerful than the Medes. The Medes and Persians were able to overthrow the Babylonian Empire when Cyrus the Persian entered the city through a pair of doors which were left unlocked in the city wall. This had been prophesied by Isaiah.

Isa 45:1
1 "Thus says the LORD to His anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have held-- to subdue nations before him and loose the armor of kings, to open before him the double doors, so that the gates will not be shut: (NKJ)

However, Cyrus the Persian was a commanding general under Darius the Mede. Therefore, Daniel correctly stated that Darius defeated Belshazzar in this battle for Babylon.

Dan 5:30-31
30 That very night Belshazzar, king of the Chaldeans, was slain.
31 And Darius the Mede received the kingdom, being about sixty-two years old. (NKJ)

The prominent horn of the goat which defeated the Ram was Alexander the Great who died at a relatively young age and left his empire to be divided among his four commanding generals.

Dan 8:8
8 The goat became very great, but at the height of his power his large horn was broken off, and in its place four prominent horns grew up toward the four winds of heaven. (NIV)

Out of one of these four remnants of the Greek Empire will come the antichrist.

Dan 8:9-11
9 Out of one of them came another horn, which started small but grew in power to the south and to the east and toward the Beautiful Land.
10 It grew until it reached the host of the heavens, and it threw some of the starry host down to the earth and trampled on them.
11 It set itself up to be as great as the Prince of the host; it took away the daily sacrifice from him, and the place of his sanctuary was brought low. (NIV)

This vision is very interesting in that it narrows down the roots from which the antichrist will rise. Daniel’s previous visions show 10 nations that rise up out of the Roman Empire and yield their power to the antichrist, but this vision reveals that the antichrist, himself, will rise up out of the vestiges of the Greek Empire.

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