In the third year of King Belshazzar of Babylon, I had a second vision
in which I was in Susa, the chief city of Babylon's Elam Province. I was
beside the Ulai River, when I looked up and saw a ram standing there with
two horns on its head -- both of them were long, but the second one was
longer than the first. The ram went charging toward the west, the north,
and the south. No other animals were strong enough to oppose him, and nothing
could save them from his power. So he did as he pleased and became even
more powerful.1
"Why is Daniel transported to Susa in his vision?" Jamie asked.
"Susa became the capital of the Medo-Persian Empire. I believe G-d
placed the vision there to change the focus from the Babylonian Empire to
the next two empires. Susa was two hundred miles east of the city of Babylon."2
"I would like to take a guess at something before you explain it to
us," Brian announced.
"Sure, Brian, go ahead! I want you to be able to understand the Bible
on your own."
"This ram had two horns, which must be the same as the two arms of
Nebuchadnezzar's statue. The one horn is longer than the other; that must
symbolize the Persians being stronger than the Medes."
"Great work! Allow me to explain the rest. The Medes and the Persians
conquered lands to the north, west, and south, which is symbolized by the
ram charging in these three directions. They were unopposed and became very
powerful. The Persians believed the guardian spirit of the Persian kingdom
appeared as a ram with clean feet and sharp pointed horns. Also, whenever
the Persians went into battle, the Persian king stood at the head of his
army wearing the head of a ram on his head instead of a crown."3
"Yuck, who would want to wear a smelly old sheep's head?" Jamie
was shocked.
"Nobody I know!" Brian said laughing.
"I agree, a crown would be my choice, too," Elizabeth added.
"All right you guys," Darryl said with a smile. "Let's read
about the animal that represents the Greeks."
I kept on watching and saw a goat come from the west and charge across
the entire earth, without even touching the ground. Between his eyes was
a powerful horn and with tremendous anger, the goat
started toward the ram that I had seen beside the river. The goat was
so fierce that its attack broke both horns of the ram, leaving him powerless.
Then the goat stomped on the ram, and no one could do anything to help.
After this, the goat became even more powerful. But at the peak of his power,
his mighty horn was broken, and four other mighty horns took its place --
one pointing to the north and one to the east, one to the south and one
to the west.4
"My turn," Jamie cried, "I want to take a shot at it!"
Her father chuckled. "Go right ahead young lady. Don't let me stop
you."
"Well, the goat represents the Greek Empire. He came out of the west,
where Greece is in relationship to the Medo-Persian capital of Susa. Charging
across the earth without touching the ground, shows the great speed with
which the Greeks conquered the world, just like the winged leopard. I think
that the horns on the ram breaking and the ram being stomped must symbolized
the fall of the Media-Persian Empire."
"My goodness, Jamie, you really are beginning to link these prophecies
together. Both you and Brian are doing a wonderful job," Elizabeth
praised her.
Jamie grinned from ear to ear. "I'm not quite finished, but before
I continue I need to ask Dad a question."
"Sure, what is it?"
"Does the powerful horn represent Alexander the Great?" Jamie
asked softly, half afraid she was going to be wrong.
"Yes, yes it does," her father said, full of pride.
"Daniel said the horn was broken. This must mean he died. The four
horns that replaced it must represent the four generals who divided his
kingdom. I can't remember their names but they are the same four guys who
where represented by the four heads of the leopard." Jamie finished
and waited to see what her father thought of her explanation.
"Great job, Jamie!" Brian was impressed.
"Perfect analysis, Jamie. You covered almost everything. I'm not sure
if I mentioned it earlier, but Alexander the Great was only thirty-two years
old when he died. That is what Daniel is referring to when he said that
the mighty horn was broken at the peak of his power. Greece was represented
by a goat in those days. The word Aegean means "goat" so the Aegean
Sea means the 'Goat Sea.'5 This is the sea between Greece and
Turkey. Years ago, different lands were assigned to the signs of the zodiac
according to astronomical geography. Aries the ram represents Persia. Capricorn
the goat represents Greece. The word 'Caper' means goat and 'cornu' means
horn. So you have Greece represented in the heavens as a horned-goat."6
"Amazing!" Brian was astounded.
"May I add something?" Elizabeth asked.
"Sure, Mom."
"Two important things came into being as a result of the Greek Empire.
The first was a road system built to link the conquered countries together.
The second was the Greek language, which became the common language throughout
the empire. Having a common language and a good road system was a major
help to the missionaries in spreading the gospel."7
Her husband thanked her, "Good point, I almost forgot about that. Now
let's continue with the rest of the vision."