I stand at the brink of a lifelong dream, which prompts me to tell you of a perfect prophecy in Scripture — a fight between a ram and a goat.
The male sheep had two horns, and he stood along a riverbank. Then an angry one-horned goat charged the ram, and the goat was so powerful that it trampled and destroyed the ram.
When the goat’s horn later broke off, four grew in its place. Then a smaller horn grew from them and became so mighty that it reached to heaven.
Now you think this is a tale. But, no, it happened. Except the ram and goat weren’t real animals — they appeared and fought in a vision. Not a faraway vision. They fought right in front of a man as he stood on the riverbank.
Quite an obscure moment.
It could have languished in Scripture, which is filled with dreams and visions. But there was a twist. An angel appeared before the man who saw the vision and explained the prophecy.
The angel’s predictions were flawless. That’s what caused the modern-day bruhaha. Critics say this story is a lie.
Here’s the vision:
“In the third year of the reign of King Belshazzar, a vision appeared to me, Daniel … I was at the Ulai canal [and I saw] … a ram standing on the bank … It had two horns … but one was higher than the other…
“A male goat came … to the ram … and trampled on him … [and later] his great horn was broken, and instead of it there came up four conspicuous horns…”
“Out of one of them came a little horn … It grew great … even as great as the Prince of the host. And the regular burnt offering was taken away from Him, and the place of His sanctuary was overthrown…
“[But] the sanctuary shall be restored to its rightful state.” (Daniel 8:1-14, ESV)
Clearly, this vision was destined for obscurity — all of it just too strange. But then Gabriel explained the meaning. Here’s what Scripture tells us.
“When I, Daniel, … sought to understand … I heard a man’s voice … and it called, ‘Gabriel, make this man understand the vision.’
“So he came near where I stood [and explained] … ‘As for the ram that you saw with the two horns, these are the kings of Media and Persia. And the goat is the king of Greece. And the great horn between his eyes is the first king.’” (Daniel 8:16-17 ESV)
Remember, the passage said it was the third year of Belshazzar, a Babylonian king. So the vision occurred in 550 B.C.
Gabriel explained that a coalition of Persians and Medes, the ram’s two horns, would conquer the Babylonians. Indeed, that happened 14 years later in 539 B.C.
Gabriel then said the goat that killed the ram was the king of Greece. Yes. Roughly two centuries after the Persian conquest, c.331 B.C., Alexander the Great defeated the Persians.
This amazing prophecy keeps going. Gabriel continued, saying, “As for the horn that was broken, in place of which four others arose, four kingdoms shall arise from his nation, but not with his power.” (Daniel 8:22, ESV)
That also happened. After the death of Alexander the Great, his kingdom did split into four parts in 301 B.C.: Egypt, Macedonia, Seleucid Syria in the Near East and Asia, and Attalid in Asia Minor.
As for the small horn that followed and halted burnt offerings in the temple in Jerusalem, that was Antiochus IV Epiphanes in c.167 BC. But the Jews in the Maccabean Revolt restored the sacrifice, as the vision stated.
The story of the ram, the goat, and their horns, standing alone, was indecipherable. But Gabriel’s explanation revealed a perfect prophecy.
As I said, modern-day critics aren’t having it, saying the eighth chapter of Daniel is too perfect a vision, insisting it was written after the mid-second century B.C.
But our Lord knows from the beginning of time to the end of time, and His holy word is sacred. Perhaps, like me, you have walked with God for a lifetime. You’ve seen each moment He’s cared for you, and those acts have deepened your faith year after year.
If you do not know the Lord, talk to Him. Tell Him your needs. Watch Him move in your life.
If you’re going through a bad time, sit down and write out everything God has done for you.
I stand at the brink of a lifelong dream. Critics can say the story of the goat and ram is too perfect, but I invite you to read that vision and celebrate God with me. He is perfect.
