Superpowers in Conflict - Part 2

Yelling tonight, it's interesting, even exciting, to study prophecies that they get to be fulfilled, but you should also be excited by those that have already comes upon us today on Turning Point. Dr. David Jeremiah explains that seeing God fulfilled prophecies just as they were foothold is proof positive that he will fulfill those that we get to have listen to the conclusion of his message superpowers in comfort. Well, thank you so much for being with her since Friday we've had a wonderful week of studying the word of God and as we head into the weekend were going to finish up our discussion of superpowers in conflict. Daniel chapter 8, and you want to find your place in the Bible better as we talk about a very interesting chapter in biblical prophecy. What we need to get back to our discussion that we have quite a bit of material to cover so let's talk about superpowers and conflict from Daniel chapter 8, now after this I was considering verse five behold came from the last over the face of the whole earth, and touch not the ground had a notable horn between his eyes and he came to the ramp it had two horns which I had seen standing before the river and ran under him in the fury of his power, and I saw him come closer to the ram and he was moved with anger against him, and smote the ram and broke 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 on them, and there was none that could deliver the ram out of his hand.

Therefore, the he goat grew very great when he was strong, the great horn was broken and for it came up for notable ones toward the four winds of heaven now that is very difficult passage of Scripture when you just read on the surface, but I want to tell you it is one of the most amazing passages I have ever read in the prophetic word. First of all, the dictation of the goat is not difficult, even if we did not have the interpretation of this passage for the first colony of Greece was established by Oracle a very interesting story out of history and Oracle sent go for a guy to build a city in some unknown place and the goat came to the region of Greece and in gratitude for that go leading them in the right direction.

The city was built, and they called it G a G a E meaning goat or the goat city and they established around the city. The name of the sea and they called the GMC but don't see, and so the goat was Greece. We've already learned following the Medo Persian Empire. The Greek Empire came into play member the arms and then the torso and the torso was Greece. Now we are going to be given the details as to how that change takes place, and I like to just share with you that in this section that I just read. There are five of the most amazing prophecies I have ever studied with the opportunity not only to study the prophecy but to go back into history and discover how those prophecies were amazingly full field right down to the minutest detail I'd like for you to help the joy I've had in discovering these prophetic wonders. First of all, the first prophecy has to do with the route to world conquest of the Greeks. Notice what it says in verse five it says, as I was considering, behold, and he goat came from the west over the face of the whole earth, and touch not the ground. Now if you want to be sure they were talking about who this really is go back in your Bibles to the 21st verse of the eighth chapter where were given the interpretation and the rough go is the king of Greece and the great horn that is between the eyes is the first king. The goal is Greece, and the rough horn in the middle of his forehead is the first king.

Now, the Scripture says that when the goat began to move out of the West and cover the whole earth that it did so so rapidly. What is the Scripture say that it touch not the ground just like some of us drive touch not the ground that is a picture of Speedo rapidity. It means that when the Greek Empire began to grow that mass gets conquest so quickly that it set world records for bringing the world under its dominion. In fact, if we go back to the seventh chapter of the book of Daniel and the pictures there of the different empires.

Remember what the picture was for Greece in Daniel seven. It was the leopard and what did he have in his back wings. The winged leopard a picture of great speed and the prophecy that God gave Daniel some 200 years before it happened.

Was this that when Greece took Medo Persian out that it would come to the point of world domination. In a very rapid fashion like a beast that travels without ever touching the ground.

What is history tell us history tells us that Greece was a kingdom like no other kingdom before in 12 brief years. The Greeks conquered the entire civilized world you believe it, never losing the battle.

In fact, battling under Nebuchadnezzar had tried to take tire out.

Remember 13 years. They did their best to defeat that city and they couldn't do it, but the Greeks not only defeated tire, but they burned the smoke and ashes.

There was no army, no kingdom, no king, no ruler who could stand the onslaught of Greece, its ranks were impregnable and invincible, and it became the dominant force in the world faster than any other kingdom before it got said that sounds good happen before it ever took place. The second amazing prophecy has to do with the reputation of the king. The Scripture says that the horn that was in the middle of the forehead of the goat which is Greece was who first king of Greece, and women who was the first Greek king Alexander the great, he is called the notable horn and the great horn. What a name for a man like Alexander. Alexander was the son of Philip of Macedon and of Olympus's mother's name as we know is Alexander and we call him the great on the basis of his accomplishments know that when Alexander was growing up, his mother, Olympus taught him that he was a descendent of Achilles and Hercules. One of the kid was motivated when he was just a little boy. I'm told there was a horse that belonged to his family that everyone had tried to break and no one could do it but Alexander said I'll do it and he did it, and according to historians.

That was the horse that he wrote in all of the great campaigns when he led the Greeks in the conquest of the world. His father was a great militarist and he was a great and successful leader and I'm told Alexander used to spend most of his time worrying about the fact that his father was making so much progress in his warfare that would be anything left for him to accomplish when his dad and after a particularly significant battle when Philip, his father had won a great victory.

He pulled his son aside and he said Alexander my son seek out a kingdom worthy of yourself. Macedonia is too small for you. You know what Alexander's dad told him he said son what I've done isn't even a beginning place you go greater than I am go for something big. Alexander said I think I'll go over the world and he did and he got it. Alexander became one of the greatest man who ever lived. He decided to rule the world and in 12 years.

He got it done.

Now that's the second prophecy. The third prophecy has to do with the ruling of the Medo Persian Empire people reading now in verses six and seven God said to Daniel when the notable horn. The great king of Greece comes the power is going to come against the Persians and the means verse six and I saw him come close unto the ram and he was moved with anger against him, and smote the ram and broke his two horns, and there was no power in the ram to stand before him, but he cast them down to the ground and he stamped on and there was none that could deliver the ram out of his when Alexander Fonda decided to take the Medes and the Persians down. He took them down came with 35,000 troops from the West crossed over the Hellespont defeated the Persian army under Darius the third of the grantor's River freed all the Greek cities of Asia minor from the Persians that Alexander and Darius the third got together face-to-face at what we know as the battle of business near Antioch in 333 BC.

Darius wanted to negotiate but Alexander said he wouldn't fool around with that he slept on South took Egypt took tire to gaze at and then retrace the steps through Syria and met an enlarged Persian army for the third time. This time he did just what the Scripture said he cast him down to the ground stamped upon him, and there was none that could deliver the ram out of his hand and Alexander wiped out the Medo Persian Empire, just like on city would 200 years before it happened than the fourth amazing prophecy in the Scripture has to do with the remarkable death of the king. Now notice verse eight therefore the he goat grew very great and when he was strong, the great horn was broken and before it came up for notable ones toward the four winds of heaven.

When Alexander had conquered the Medo Persians.

He sacked several other Persian cities. He swept on the India is tired army had had enough and they returned the babbling were Alexander died at the age of 33, a victim of his own drunkenness and fever depressed in his own spirit because there weren't any more worlds for him to conquer. When he was strong since verse eight at the height of his glory, the great horn was broken.

Can you imagine that it gives me goosebumps to think about the fact that here is God talking to a man 200 years before this happened to the very minutest detail, he tells them exactly how history is going to be written. In fact there's an interesting story about when Alexander was on his way toward Jerusalem to conquer that city. One of the priests of Jerusalem had a copy of the book of Daniel Daniel's prophecies and he took the book he ran out Alexander nieces hey you got to read your here. Alexander got down on his knees and worship and keeping from fulfilling prophecy. Can you imagine what an amazing thing. It would've been to read about yourself. Prophetic word God did that. You know when Alexander was sweeping over the civilized earth he thought he was doing his own work, and he thought all these achievements were his.

He thought he was adding to all of the illustrious things it would be written about Alexander the great, he thought he was extending the boundaries of his immortal kingdom which you know what Alexander was doing. He was just filling out the outline of prophecy that God had said he would do long before you ever live. Alexander was not an originator he was a copyist. Alexander was not the dictating hand, he would just pencil in the hand he had no position as an author. He simply wrote down what God said he would do by prophetic word great as he was.

He was nothing more than a tool in the hand of a sovereign God. He thought he was doing his own thing, but God had sent him in his own sovereign plan to do something that needed to be done before Jesus Christ would come when Alexander amassed all these kingdoms he was concerned about the unity of the kingdom and he realized they could never be unified if they spoke all kinds of different languages and understood different cultures, so he decided that he would Hellenized the world, which means he would Greek affiant if you will, he would teach them all. The Greek language and established a certain Greek language we know today as the coin, a Greek happens to be the language of the New Testament and he taught all of these people that had conquered the coin, a Greek and he taught them the Greek culture so they would understand how they were supposed to live and that he became concerned about the inability to have access to his great kingdom. So he settled his people out – highways and roads to all of the problems over which he had control it would happen. The age of 33. He died moved off the scene when he got all that done just in time so that when Jesus came, there would be a language in which the gospel could be written and preached there would be roads upon which the missionaries could travel with great speed for their day between provinces and there would be a culture which would be understood by the people of his day and I am convinced, as are many historians that Alexander did nothing more than prepare the way for the coming of Jesus Christ and the dissemination of the gospel and he thought he was doing his own thing and when his time was up and he did everything God wanted him to do. God said that's enough over your done exit Alexander and that leads us to the last great prophecy in this chapter that has to do with the reorganization of the Greek Empire verse eight therefore the he goat grew very great and when he was strong, the great horn was broken and Laurent came up for notable ones toward the winds of heaven. Now verse 22 is the interpretation of that verse in verse 22 says now that being broken, whereas four stood up for it for kingdom shall stand up out of the nation but not in his power. In other words, this prophecy says that when Alexander died, his kingdom would be divided into four and would be given to four kings who were not as strong as Alexander and the power of the total kingdom would be dissipated. In other words, they would have the power that Alexander had for 20 years after Alexander's death there was foam at the ferments and all kinds of struggling and fighting and fighting and everybody going at each other and you wouldn't believe that prophecy would ever be fulfilled.

But you know what happened within that period of time the kingdom of Alexander was divided between four of his generals. And you know the history as well as I do. Cassandra got part of it, like Seneca's got another part of it. Seleucus got another part of it and Ptolemy got the other part just as God said, when Alexander was gone, God reorganized his kingdom in all of this was written long before it ever happened.

You know, folks, if you know anything at all about biblical introduction. You know that the book of Daniel is a great target for the critics. There's an old fellow by the name of porphyry who hated the book of Daniel couldn't believe that anybody could have written history I have time and so he said there's gotta be a way to understand this and the only way he could understand it was to say that Daniel was written.

After these events took place and so he late date in the book of Daniel, and there have been many liberals and modernists who have followed the late dating the book of Daniel, for one simple reason. They been unwilling to believe the miraculous nature of the book of prophecy. We know what was true.

What God said would happen, happen. Just exactly as he said it would you say no. What is this mean to us.

How can I get into this. How can I understand what's going on in this chapter as it relates to me. Let me conclude with three thoughts that I hope will be meaningful to us. First of all, we have seen a great prophecy here is prophecy written down about things that we now know actually took place exactly as God said they were in absolute detail. You say so what when we get to the end of this chapter were going to read about a king call the king of fierce countenance, he hasn't come yet but you know what he's coming.

How do I know that because the first one. God said would come came in the last one he says is common is common. You see when you study prophecy and you read what God said you see how it was fulfilled literally all that does is help you to understand that the prophecies yet to be fulfilled are going to be fulfilled.

How just as literally as the ones we have studied without anything left out exactly as God says it's going to happen. So when I see prophecies in the Old Testament fulfilled in the new.

And then I read New Testament prophecies about the future. I say amen Lord. Amen. I know it's can happen just like you said great prophecy. I think we see here great principal. What was Daniel's reaction to the prophecy from God.

He fainted, he got sick he became emotional to the very difficult things if we really stop and think about it. Many women is that we take God's word for granted. Don't we know we got so many bottles everywhere, but I wonder if we really appreciate the fact that here was a man of God who got one little slice of God's plan for the future and it wiped them out God's given us the whole thing. How do we respond we got the blahs as it comes to the Bible I believe that God would have us to get serious about this book, when we read about the coming man of sin in the coming king of fierce countenance is going to rule this world and devastate those who have been left behind. We become emotionally involved, we begin to look around us. For those who don't know Jesus Christ and ask God to help us get them in the kingdom before his prophecy comes true great principal that I want to conclude by reminding you that we have met a great person. Slice it anyway you want to folks. Alexander was a great one if you want some great bedtime reading. You pull down some of the biographies that have been written about him some of the histories of Alexander and you read it. It's thrilling. All he was a powerful man, a great dictator a great ruler, a great general great leader.

He was a great person you know it's very easy to compare him to another great one who has at least one similarity to Alexander Charles Ross lead has done it better than I can do it, but I hope it grips you as it did me.

When I first read it goes like this, Jesus and Alexander died at 33 one lived and died herself one died for you and me. The great died on the throne. The Jew died on the cross ones life. I triumph seemed the other seen the loss 111 vast armies for the other walked along one shadow whole world's blood. The other gave his own 11 the world and life and lost it all in death, the other lost his life to win the whole world space Jesus and Alexander died at 33. One died in Babylon one on Calvary one day golf herself in one himself. He gave one conquered every Tom, the other every day. The one made himself God, the other made himself less the one lived about the blast. The other, but to bless when died, the great forever felt his throne to swords. But Jesus died to live forever Lord of lords. Jesus and Alexander died at 33 the great made all men slaves the Jew made all men free one builder throne on blood. The other built on love the one was born of earth, the other from above the 11 all this earth to lose all earth and heaven. The other gave up all that all to him. Given the great forever dies the Jew forever lives. He loses all who gets, and wins all things, who gives Jesus and Alexander died at 33, who was the greatest by all of the standards of humanism and world history Alexander stands rank-and-file of our Lord. There's not a person here who has ever walked with the Lord Jesus, for one day make that issue. For a moment. Jesus is the greatest. Someone told me about long ago that you should never use the word awesome for anyone else except for God that he is the one who was awesome that Jesus Christ is awesome. The awesome son of God. I've been trying to do that only we use that word a lot more vocabulary so we we say everything is awesome. But in all reality there's only one awesome thing in the world that's got himself in Jesus Christ his son.

Well, as I mentioned on the Monday we began our discussion of Antiochus and the antichrist. I think this is one of the most interesting sections in the book of Daniel, and if you've ever wondered about that term antichrist.

Believe it or not the prototype for the antichrist shows up in the chapter talk about that on Monday we can focus. Today's message originally from Shadow Mountain Community Church and senior pastor Dr. David Jeremiah. How has God been using Turning Points to minister to you like to live the snow at Turning Point PO Box 3838, San Diego, CA 92163 visit our website at David Jeremiah don't/right you a copy of David's helpful and encouraging you to questions about living in the last things move and how to live with Susan. Susan will forgive any amount you can also download the free Turning Point mobile app for your favorite smart device and exits out programs and resources with just such app store for the keywords and point ministries go to David Jeremiah don't/radio for details. Join us on Monday as we continue the handwriting on the wrong Turning Point with Dr. David Jeremiah for taking time to listen to on the non-pleasing Christian