(this article was written approx 2006 but still pertains)
The Vision of the He-Goat and the Ram
Read Daniel chapter 8. Daniel has a vision about a Ram and a He-Goat. After he has this vision an angel appears and tells him the interpretation of it. The angel tells him that the events will come to pass at the “time of the end”.
Daniel 8:17 “17 So he came near where I stood: and when he came, I was afraid, and fell upon my face: but he said unto me, Understand, O son of man: for at the time of the end shall be the vision.”
It’s my belief that we are now living in the “time of the end”. We don’t know what God’s time parameter is on how long in years is the “time of the end”. Since this article was written about 15 years ago, it still pertains to the time of the end in God’s perspective.
Daniel 8
“And I saw in a vision; and it came to pass, when I saw, that I was at Shushan in the palace, which is in the province of Elam; and I saw in a vision, and I was by the river of Ulai. 3 Then I lifted up mine eyes, and saw, and, behold, there stood before the river a ram which had two horns: and the two horns were high; but one was higher than the other, and the higher came up last.
In his vision, Daniel is transported to Shushan, an ancient city of Persia (present day Iran). Daniel was by the river of Ulai when he sees a ram with two horns. Who is the ram? The angel tells us in verse 20 that the ram are the “kings of Media Persia”.
Daniel 8:20 The ram which thou sawest having two horns are the kings of Media and Persia.
Daniel lived approximately 537 BC. The Media Persia area from Daniel’s day includes the CURRENT countries of Iraq, Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan, Turkey and Syria
If we are now living in the end times then the ram would be strong forces coming from the Arab countries of Iraq, Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Turkey and Syria.
The Bible says in Daniel 8:4 that the ram is pushing those in the west, north and south, in a way that no country could stop it. The ram becomes strong because it could do whatever it wants to.
Daniel 8:4 I saw the ram pushing westward, and northward, and southward; so that no beasts might stand before him, neither was there any that could deliver out of his hand; but he did according to his will, and became great.
Afghanistan Timeline – Taliban
It also says in Daniel 8:3 that one of the horns was higher than the other, and the higher came up last.
3 Then I lifted up mine eyes, and saw, and, behold, there stood before the river a ram which had two horns: and the two horns were high; but one was higher than the other, and the higher came up last.
In my opinion I think the ruling powers in Afghanistan and Iraq are the two horns. If you take a look at the Taliban in Afghanistan you’ll notice it came up in 1996, after Saddam Hussein’s rein in Iraq, which came up in 1979. The higher or stronger of the two powers, the Taliban, which made a global impact with the attacks on 9/11/01, came up after Saddam Hussein’s rein.
The Taliban – the higher of the two horns – are a Islamist… movement that ruled most of Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001. The Taliban was able to make a global impact with the attacks on 9/11/01. Read about the world political effects arising from the September 11, 2001 attacks. In 1996, Osama bin Laden moved to Afghanistan from Sudan. When the Taliban came to power, bin Laden was able to forge an alliance between the Taliban and his Al-Qaeda organization. It is understood that al-Qaeda-trained fighters known as the 055 Brigade were integrated with the Taliban army between 1997 and 2001. The Taliban and bin Laden had very close connections, which were formalized by a marriage of one of bin Laden’s sons to Omar’s daughter. During Osama bin Laden’s stay in Afghanistan, he had helped finance the Taliban.
Saddam Hussein –the high horn, but not the higher – was the president of Iraq from July 16, 1979 to April 9, 2003.
As president, Saddam maintained power through the Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988) and the first Persian Gulf War (1991). During these conflicts, Saddam repressed movements he deemed threatening to the stability of Iraq, particularly Shi’a and Kurdish movements demanding independence or autonomy. While he remained a popular hero among many disaffected Arabs everywhere for standing up to the West and for his support for the Palestinians[7], U.S. leaders continued to view Saddam with deep suspicion following the 1991 Persian Gulf War. Saddam was deposed by the U.S. and its allies during the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
Captured by U.S. forces on December 13, 2003, Saddam was brought to trial under the Iraqi interim government set up by U.S.-led forces. On November 5 2006, he was convicted of charges related to the executions of 148 Iraqi Shi’ites suspected of planning an assassination attempt against him, and was sentenced to death by hanging. Saddam was executed on December 30, 2006.
The He-Goat
Daniel 8:5 And as I was considering, behold, an he goat came from the west on the face of the whole earth, and touched not the ground: and the goat had a notable horn between his eyes.
Where did the he goat come from? Daniel 8:5 says from the “west on the face of the whole earth”. Where is this?
Daniel was in Shushan when he had this vision. Get a globe and look at it’s “face” placing Shushan, which is on the western side of Iran, to the extreme eastern or right side of the globe where you can barely see it looking at the globe. Now take a look at the far western side of the globe. What do you see? The United States.
The he goat comes from the United States.
Daniel 8:5 also says that the he goat didn’t touch the ground.
When the Taliban attacked the U.S. on 9/11/01, President Bush and the U.S. struck back by coming from the west, across the ocean, without touching the ground. (Daniel 8:5).
Here’s another explanation on who this he goat is.
Daniel 8:21 And the rough goat is the king of Grecia: and the great horn that is between his eyes is the first king.
The he-goat is interpreted in Daniel 8:21 as the king of Grecia. Greece is often referred to as the “cradle of western culture“.
Countries that came out of the Western or Grecian culture would be those countries seen below. The rough goat would then be the “first” (Hebrew definition: chief, powerful) king from one of the countries below during the end times. The United States recently had a very powerful leader that was determined to damage the ideology of terror from the world. This man, former President Bush was a forceful leader that accomplished a lot in the fight on terror during his term in office.
Romans 1:16 in the Bible explains how salvation comes to two groups of people, the Jew and the Greek. If you weren’t a Jew in Bible days then you were considered a Greek or a Gentile. In today’s world the kingdom of Grecia-Gentile would be anywhere except where the Jews live, Israel.
Romans 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
Interesting article about President Bush and his strength in getting terror removed from the world
Let’s see what the he-goat does to the ram.
The He-Goat and the Ram
Daniel 8:5 And as I was considering, behold, an he goat came from the west on the face of the whole earth, and touched not the ground: and the goat had a notable horn between his eyes.
6And he came to the ram that had two horns, which I had seen standing before the river, and ran unto him in the fury of his power.
7And I saw him come close unto the ram, and he was moved with choler against him, and smote the ram, and brake his two horns: and there was no power in the ram to stand before him, but he cast him down to the ground, and stamped upon him: and there was none that could deliver the ram out of his hand.
The he-goat comes to the ram with two horns and runs into him with fury. Then the he goat comes close to the ram, is extremely mad at the ram, and breaks the two horns. This leaves no power in the ram to stand before the he goat. The he goat casts the ram to the ground and stamps on him. No one could save the ram from the he goat.
Notice, however, the he goat does NOT kill the ram.
If the horns on the ram do represent Afghanistan and Iraq then the he goat must break the evil in these two countries. Saddam Hussein, leader of Iraq, has now been brought to trial and executed. The Taleban movement in Afghanistan has fallen. President Bush was successful at breaking the ideology in these two countries and bringing the two countries to democracy. And “there was none that could deliver” the countries of Iraq and Afghanistan out of Bush’s hand; no other country could stop Bush.
United States President:
“Make no mistake, The United States will hunt down and punish those responsible for these cowardly acts”
Remarks by President Bush on Executive Order right after the September 11, 2001 attacks
The Rose Garden September 24, 2001 (3) “We have developed the international financial equivalent of law enforcement’s “Most Wanted” list. And it puts the financial world on notice. If you do business with terrorists, if you support or sponsor them, you will not do business with the United States of America.” But make no mistake about it, we’re going after them all. And we’ll win, we’re going to win. Terrorists are going to realize they can’t face down freedom. Terrorists are going to realize they made a big mistake, they miscalculated America. And I think they miscalculate a lot of our allies and friends, too. There is a determined will, and we accept the challenge in this administration.
President Bush’s Second Term Accomplishments and Agenda
A Strategy For Success In Iraq. “We will pursue a two-track strategy for victory in Iraq, through political and military means. We will help Iraqis build a democracy that will be an example to the region, and we will support Iraqis as they draft a Constitution, vote in a referendum, and then elect a fully constitutional government. At the same time, we will hunt down the terrorists and train Iraqi security forces so that they can defend their own country. As the Iraqis stand up, we will stand down.”
The He-Goat Gets Strong then Broken
Daniel 8:8 Therefore the he goat waxed very great: and when he was strong, the great horn was broken; and for it came up four notable ones toward the four winds of heaven.
The he goat becomes very great. The word great in the original Hebrew text means to “become great”. The word “strong” in Hebrew is “atsam” and among other things means to shut or shut tightly (the eyes).
President Bush, while he was in office, followed his agenda to wipe out terrorism in the world. He became a great leader to be feared by terrorists and sponsors of terror during his term.
If the word “strong” indicates “to shut or to shut tightly” then at any time after this great leader shuts his term in office the kingdom of the United States could be broken by the rapture. President Bush ended his term in office on January 20, 2009.
As soon as the kingdom of the United States is broken possibly by the rapture, four notable “ones” or countries come up for it. You will find this also stated in Daniel 11:3.
Daniel 11:3 And a mighty king shall stand up, that shall rule with great dominion, and do according to his will. 4 And when he shall stand up, his kingdom shall be broken, and shall be divided toward the four winds of heaven; and not to his posterity, nor according to his dominion which he ruled: for his kingdom shall be plucked up, even for others beside those.
President George W. Bush took a stand against terror his entire time in office.
Why do I think “broken” means the rapture?
If you study Daniel chapter 8 you will see some similarities between the he goat in Daniel 8 and the mighty king spoken of in Daniel 11:3-4. I think these two passages are talking about the same two kings. In both cases “broken” happens right before “four” come up for the broken kingdom.
Daniel 11:3And a mighty king shall stand up, that shall rule with great dominion, and do according to his will. 4And when he shall stand up, his kingdom shall be broken, and shall be divided toward the four winds of heaven; and not to his posterity, nor according to his dominion which he ruled: for his kingdom shall be plucked up, even for others beside those.
Daniel 8:8 Therefore the he goat waxed very great: and when he was strong, the great horn was broken; and for it came up four notable ones toward the four winds of heaven.
Right after the “four” come up, the antichrist appears on the scene. In Daniel 8:9 the antichrist’s organization is described as a “little horn”. We can know this by the last part of verse 11 where it says “he magnified himself… and by him the daily sacrifice was taken away…” According to Daniel 9:26-27 the person that takes away the daily sacrifice is from the antichrist’s organization. So the little horn is related to the antichrist’s appearance.
Daniel 8:9 And out of one of them came forth a little horn, which waxed exceeding great, toward the south, and toward the east, and toward the pleasant land. 10And it waxed great, even to the host of heaven; and it cast down some of the host and of the stars to the ground, and stamped upon them. 11Yea, he magnified himself even to the prince of the host, and by him the daily sacrifice was taken away, and the place of the sanctuary was cast down.
In Daniel chapter 11 either the antichrist or the antichrist’s right hand man, the false prophet, appears in verse 16 where it says “none shall stand before him: and he shall stand in the glorious land, which by his hand shall be consumed.”
Daniel 11:16 But he that cometh against him shall do according to his own will, and none shall stand before him: and he shall stand in the glorious land, which by his hand shall be consumed.
We know by reading 2 Thessalonians 2:7-8,9 that the antichrist and his evil organization will not be revealed until after the removal of God’s children at the rapture. The “he” in 2 Thessalonians 2:7 refers to the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit resides in all of God’s children and will be removed from the earth when all of God’s children are taken away at the rapture. THEN will the “Wicked” be revealed; this refers to the wicked antichrist’s organization.
If the antichrist and his organization will not be revealed until after the rapture then right before the antichrist is revealed the rapture will happen. This is what Daniel 8:8-9 and Daniel 11:3-16 tells us. Right before the antichrist appears this kingdom of the he goat is broken. This is why I think “broken” refers to the rapture and it’s affect on the United States.
Why do I think the “little horn” is the antichrist?
The interpretation of the he goat is found in Daniel 8:21-22. Right after the he goat’s kingdom is broken verse 23 says a “king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences shall stand up”. If you go on to read the following verses you can see where this relates to the antichrist’s organization.
Three kings in Persia / and the fourth far richer
Daniel 11:2 talks about three kings in Persia and the fourth shall be far richer than they all. Ancient Persia is present day Iran. But the Bible may be talking about the Arab nations as a whole. There have been three kings in the news lately, and a fourth, a Saudi billionaire.
Daniel 11:2 And now will I shew thee the truth. Behold, there shall stand up yet three kings in Persia; and the fourth shall be far richer than they all: and by his strength through his riches he shall stir up all against the realm of Grecia.
Three kings in Persia (the Arab nations), and a fourth far richer than they all.
Saddam Hussein, President of Iraq for the past two decades, has the dubious distinction of being the world’s best known and most hated Arab leader.
Yasser Arafat was born and educated in Egypt. After the 1948 establishment of the state of Israel, he became commited to the idea of armed struggle to reverse what Palestinians call the Nabka or “the catastrophe”. To this end, Arafat secretly founded Fatah, the Movement for the Liberation of Palestine. By 1967, Israel had crushed many of its Arab enemies and captured the West Bank and Gaza. Fatah remained its only credible force of opposition and, two years later, Arafat became the chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO).
Mahmoud Abbas, also known as Abu Mazen, was named as chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) after Yasser Arafat died in November 2004, and in January 2005 he won convincingly in the election for president of the Palestinian Authority.
Osama Bin Laden. The fourth is not called a king. Osama Bin Laden, the person responsible for the attacks of September 11, 2001 and for the outcry of all nations against terrorists. Osama Bin Laden, an Islamic fundamentalist and the son of a Saudi billionaire, has been on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list since 1999, and the U.S. State Department has offered a $5 million reward for his arrest. Bin Laden’s anger with the United States stems from the 1990 decision by Saudi Arabia to allow the U.S. to stage attacks on Iraqi forces in Kuwait and Iraq. After the U.S. victory, the U.S. military presence became permanent. Bin Laden began forming his network in 1979, when he went to Afghanistan to fight the Soviets alongside Afghan resistance fighters known as the mujahedeen.
Look again at what Daniel 11:2 says. It says the fourth shall be far richer than all the other kings and by his strength through his riches he shall stir up all against the realm of Grecia. Remember we talked about Grecia earlier. Grecian countries are those countries that made the Greek culture their own. One of these countries is the United States. Osama Bin Laden certainly did stir up the world when he attack America on Sept. 11, 2001.
Daniel 11:2 And now will I shew thee the truth. Behold, there shall stand up yet three kings in Persia; and the fourth shall be far richer than they all: and by his strength through his riches he shall stir up all against the realm of Grecia.
