In 552 BC, long before Macedonia-led Greek city-states became the dominant power in the Western world, the Hebrew prophet Daniel foretold of war between Greece and Persia, and its outcome. Over 200 years later, in 333 BC, Daniel's prophecy was fulfilled exactly as he predicted!

This remarkable prophecy is recorded in the eighth chapter of the Bible's book of Daniel. (The vision is recounted in verses 1 through 14, and interpretation is given in verses 15 through 27.) Then, in the same chapter, the prophet takes us far into the future, to events of the Endtime, the time in which we are now living.

Vision: "In the third year of the reign of King Belshazzar [552 BC] a vision appeared to me [Daniel]. ... 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. I saw the ram pushing westward, northward, and southward" (Daniel 8:1-4).

Interpretation: "Then it happened, when I, Daniel, had seen the vision and was seeking the meaning, that suddenly there stood before me one having the appearance of a man. And I heard a man's voice [saying], 'Gabriel, make this man understand the vision.' And he said ... 'The ram which you saw, having the two horns--they are the kings of Media and Persia'" (Daniel 8:15-16,19-20).

The Medes ruled an empire that included a tribe known as the Persians. In 552 BC, Cyrus (later Cyrus the Great) was ruler of the Persian district of Anshan. Cyrus rebelled with the help of many disaffected Medes and overthrew the Median Empire in 550 BC. Cyrus then established the Persian Empire. Because Medes had helped Cyrus rise to power, a Mede traditionally held the second most important position in the kingdom--"two horns [but] one was higher than the other."

Vision: "And as I was considering, suddenly a male goat came from the west, across the surface of the whole earth, without touching the ground; and the goat had a notable horn between his eyes. Then he came to the ram that had two horns, which I had seen standing beside the river, and ran at him with furious power. And I saw him confronting the ram; he was moved with rage against him, attacked the ram, and broke his two horns. There was no power in the ram to withstand him, but he cast him down to the ground and trampled him; and there was no one that could deliver the ram from his hand. Therefore the male goat grew very great" (Daniel 8:5-8a).

Interpretation: "The male goat is the kingdom of Greece. The large horn that is between its eyes is the first king" (Daniel 8:21).

Here we have the male goat, with its "large horn" [Alexander the Great] furiously attacking the ram [Persia]. At the battles of Issus in 333 BC (in which Alexander himself led the cavalry charge across the Pinarus River) and Gaugamela in 331 BC, Alexander the Great's forces soundly defeated the army of the Persian king, Darius III, ushering in the rule of Alexander the Great over the Persian Empire.

Vision: "The male goat grew very great; but when he became strong, the large horn was broken" (Daniel 8:8a).

Interpretation: Alexander began his military campaign when he was 20 years old and conquered all the known world that he considered important--from Greece to India and southern Russia to northern Africa--in only eight years. No doubt this swift conquest is why the Lord pictured his kingdom as a winged leopard in the vision of Daniel 7:6, and here as a goat that moved so fast it didn't touch the ground. But at the height of his power--"when he was strong"--Alexander died at the age of 33.

Vision: "In place of it [the large horn] four notable ones came up toward the four winds of heaven" (Daniel 8:8b).

Interpretation: "As for the broken horn and the four that stood up in its place, four kingdoms shall arise out of that nation, but not with its power" (Daniel 8:22).

When Alexander died, his generals (called collectively the Diadochi) fought over his empire, dividing it to "the four winds." These weaker successor kingdoms were depicted as a four-headed leopard in Daniel 7:6.

Beginning with Daniel 8:9, the prophecy suddenly jumps far into the future, to events of the Endtime. "Out of one of them [the four notable horns] came a little horn which grew exceedingly great toward the south, toward the east, and toward the Glorious Land [Israel]."

To be continued...