On Wednesday, December 3, of this week, 2014, Iran sent their jet fighters and bombed ISIS. Has the second seal of Revelation 6 now been opened? We will soon see. We must remember, the Antichrist will not be revealed until the opening of the fourth seal of Revelation 6, after which he will confirm the covenant -- probably with Israel -- which begins the 70th week of Daniel (the last seven years before Jesus Christ returns to establish His kingdom out of Jerusalem, Israel. See Daniel 9:27).
In this Part IV of our teaching, we direct our attention to Daniel 7:6 and the leopard, along with the goat of Daniel 8:5-9, showing how these two animals represent the same entity. We have already concluded that the lion in Daniel 7:4 is Iraq, while the bear in Daniel 7:5 and the ram in Daniel 8:2-4 are one of the same and represent Iran. Now we will break down the meanings of the leopard and goat, showing why they represent the same thing, who they are, and what their objective is going to be. Let us deal with the leopard first.
The Leopard and the He Goat
"After this I beheld, and lo another, like a leopard, which had upon the back of it four wings of a fowl; the beast had also four heads; and dominion was given to it." Daniel 7:6.
We remember that three of the four beasts in Daniel 7 are predators and each hunts its prey in a different way. The lion stalks, the bear ravages, and the leopard waits, then pounces. We have already stated that the lion represents Iraq and the bear and ram Iran (ancient Persia), but who and what does the leopard represent?
There are four things about the leopard that are very important:
1. The leopard strikes quickly.
2. The leopard has four wings on it's back. These represent flight.
3. The leopard has four heads. These represent four countries.
4. The leopard is given dominion.
Now let us look at the goat:
5. And as I was considering, behold, a 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. 6. And 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. 7. And 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. 8. Therefore the 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. 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.
There are seven important things to notice about the goat:
1. The goat comes from the west in the Middle East.
2. The goat moves eastward and does not touch the ground.
3. The goat has a notable horn between its eyes.
4. The goat attacks the ram, smites it and breaks its two horns.
5. Nothing could deliver the ram from the goat.
6. The goat becomes very great and then his horn is broken and four other horns come up in its place from the four winds (north, south, east and west).
7. Lastly, out of these four horns---which represent countries and their leaders---comes up a little horn (Antichrist) that becomes great toward the south, east, and pleasant land (Israel).
Most books, study Bibles, and Bible teachers will say that Daniel 7:6 and 8:5-9 represent the old Greek Empire and Alexander the Great, and when he died his four generals divided up the kingdom. But as we said in Part I, these Scriptures have to do with the last days before Jesus Christ returns according to Daniel 7:17, 8:17, 19, 26, and 12:4 and not with an ancient kingdom. Also, after Alexander's death, the Greek Empire was divided into many pieces, then finally two; the Seleucid Dynasty in the North and the Ptolemaic Dynasty in the South. So, even though there are similarities regarding the leopard and goat pertaining to the old Greek Empire, it does not fulfill the above Scriptures.
Yavan
In order to make sense of Daniel's third beast of Daniel 7:6 and the goat of Daniel 8:5-9, we need to take a short historical journey. The word for Greece, in Aramaic, is "Yavan". According to Genesis 10:2, Javan was a son of Japheth, who was a son of Noah. His descendants migrated east and settled around the Balkan and Greek Peninsulas, Crete, and western Turkey. It is interesting that Antiochus IV Epiphanes, who ruled as king over the Syrian Seleucid Dynasty from 175 to 164 BC, was a type of the coming Antichrist. He added "Epiphanes" to his name, which means "God Manifest", or "God on Earth", believing that he was a manifestation of Zeus. He was from the lineage of Yavan and his ancestors were from, what is today, Albania. Antiochus IV was a great persecutor of the Jewish people until the Jewish Maccabean Revolt, which lasted from 167 to 160 BC.
So, how do the leopard and he goat represent the same thing? The leopard with four heads depicts a coalition of four Sunni Islamic countries that will join together and wage war against the ram (Iran and the Shiites that will have taken over much of the Middle East). The he goat, with the single horn, represents the person who will lead these four countries into battle, which are Turkey, Albania, Egypt and Syria (Syria is 85% Sunni, while the present leader of Syria, Assad, and the remaining 15% of the Syrian people under him are Shiite). These four countries are Muslim, or soon to be Muslim. Turkey has the largest military in NATO, other than the United States, so it could lead the coalition in attacking Iran.
We remember, the four wings on the leopard represent flight, while the goat goes eastward and does not touch the ground. I believe both the leopard with wings, and the goat not touching the ground, represent the air forces of the four countries that move quickly and retake what Iran has captured. The notable horn on the goat probably may represent Erdogan, the Prime Minister of Turkey, or someone who will take his place, that will lead the four countries in the counter attack against Iran. The ram (Iran) will not be able to stand against the leopard/goat, but will be defeated, along with its two leaders, as the attack will be quick--like a leopard--and deadly. Daniel 8:21 says that the rough goat is the king of Grecia, which in Aramaic is "Yavan".
"And the rough goat is the king of Grecia: and the great horn that is between his eyes is the first king."
In this case, we can say the leader of Turkey could be the king of Yavan, which, in our English Bible translations is "the king of Grecia (Greece), especially since the descendants of Yavan settled in what is today western Turkey. If we are correct in our exegesis (scriptural interpretation), when these four nations make their move, the third seal of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse of Revelation 6 will have been opened.
5. And when he had opened the third seal, I heard he third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand. 6. And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine. Revelation 6:5-6.
As stated earlier, when the second seal of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse has been opened, which may have already taken place, since Iran attacked ISIS with air strikes on December 3, there will be a lot of deaths in the Middle East, as depicted by the rider on the red horse with the sword so that people will kill one another. As we said in lesson III, this will cause a lot of disaster that will affect the world, even though Revelation 6:8 tells us the four seals of Revelation 6:1-8 are centered over a fourth part of the earth, which is the Middle East and the Islamic countries.
The opening of the third seal of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse will bring a food shortage, not due to famine, since the oil and wine are not affected, but due to the Sunni/Shiite wars and the control of the oil fields in the Middle East. This will affect the world's economy, with price increases on goods, foods, industry and other entities.
A New Middle East
After the defeat of Iran and its allies, the horn of the goat is broken and four new horns take its place. The broken horn will be Turkey's leader, who will either be replaced or die. The four new horns that come up on the goat represent four newly formed regions in the Middle East due to a reconfiguration of the present nations. Mark Davidson, in his book Daniel Revisited, page 241, believes these will be a "New Turkey", a "New Egypt", a "New Arabia", and a "New Iran." The victory over Iran and her allies will end the Sunni/Shiite wars, thus establishing the revived and revised Islamic Caliphate, centered in Turkey, and pave the way for the unveiling of the Antichrist, which is the little horn that comes up from the four new ones on the goat, and the establishment of the Antichrist kingdom rule.
The opening of the fourth seal of Revelation 6 brings forth the unveiling of the Antichrist. This will bring about great devastation, hunger, and death among the Islamic nations as the four beasts of Daniel 7 combine their efforts in ruling the Middle East under Antichrist.
And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see. 8. And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him: And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.
Although, the pale horse was said to be a pale green, the word actually means a real green (Strong's Greek Dictionary, page 78, pronounced "chloros", greenish, verdant, green, pale). It is from the prime root "chloe", which means green, and is the same word used in Mark 6:39 when Jesus instructed the people to sit down on the green grass. Ironically, the primary color of Islam is a brilliant green, as in the Saudi Arabian flag. Also, if the Koran has a colored covering it is most of the time green. The Caliph is the only one who can wear a green turban, one of which the Antichrist will probably wear. Also, Islam says their heaven is also green. The reason the Bible translators used the word "pale" is because of the death aspect of the fourth Horseman; but when we evaluate Islam, their Koran, and agenda, their primary goal is to kill anyone who will not convert to Islam. Even this week, Christians who converted to Islam to save their lives have been killed.
Islam is not a peaceful religion, as our government leaders have stated, but a geopolitical/religious killing machine, designed and controlled by Satan and his demonic hordes, whose objective is to bring the whole world in subjection to him. Thank God, many Muslims are leaving Islam and coming to Jesus Christ through the preaching of the gospel and dreams of Jesus Christ visiting them. Please understand, I am not indicting all Muslims, but the system and its leadership. According to the Bible, God has a great plan and blessings for the Arab nations during the millennial reign of Christ Jesus as they come up to Jerusalem to bring gifts and worship Him.
Let's look at the Scriptures concerning the Antichrist, beginning with Daniel 2:40-43.
40. And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron: forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things: and as iron that breaketh all these, shall it break in pieces and bruise. 41. And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potter's clay, and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron, forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay. 42. And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken. 43. And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay. Daniel 2:40-43.
The word "mingle", in verse 43, is the Arabic word "arab", which is quite interesting since the verses are dealing with Islam. As we stated in Part I of this series, the fourth kingdom is not a Revived, Revised Roman Empire, but the Revived and Revised Islamic Caliphate, with the two legs of Iron representing the Sunnis and Shiites. Rome never crushed and broke in pieces other nations it conquered, but Islam did. The ten toes on the statue of iron and clay represent a mixture of Islam and other religions and cultures that will not adhere to one another. The ten toes also represent ten Islamic nations and their ten kings as stated in Revelation 17.
"12. And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet: but receive power as kings one hour with the beast. 13. These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast."
The beast, in the above Scriptures, is the Antichrist, and coincides with Daniel 7:19-25:
19. Then I would know the truth of the fourth beast, which was diverse from all the others...20. And of the ten horns that were in his head, and of the other which came up, and before whom three fell;...21. I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them; 22, Until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom. 23. Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces. 24. And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings. 25. And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of times.
As I stated earlier, the horn that comes up out of the ten horns is the same as the little horn that comes up out of the goat. Both represent the Antichrist. There several Scriptures that give us more details regarding the Antichrist, one of which is Revelation 13:1-2:
1. And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy. 2. And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the gragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.
It is interesting that the three predatory animals in Daniel 7 -- the lion, bear, and leopard -- are listed here as being part of the makeup of the Antichrist kingdom. It is not my intention to go into an in-depth teaching at this time on the Antichrist and how much of the world he will rule, since Part V -- which is the final part of this series -- will cover the subject. My intent, to this point, has been to show where we are in biblical prophecy by tying it together with what is transpiring at this time in the Middle East, showing how close we are to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Update
As you know, my book The DNA of Jesus Christ was released last year and has done rather well. If you have read it and would be so kind as to write a review on Amazon, it would help tremendously.
On another note, we are busy about our Father's business, writing articles, putting teachings on our web site, holding meetings, and putting together two new books; one on heaven entitled, Welcome Home, and another regarding Israel and you and I as followers of Jesus Christ. It is about the coming move of God among the Jews and the part you and I play in this major event as God opens the floodgates of heaven upon Israel and the Church. What exciting times we are living in as the world grows darker, but the light of Jesus Christ continues to shine brighter and brighter through His people as we approach the apex of the battle between God, His angels and His people, and Satan, his demonic powers, and those who reject Jesus Christ. We are in battles now, in different ways, both spiritually and physically, but all-out warfare is soon to ensue as God the Father, once more shakes everything that can be shaken, that what cannot be shaken many remain.
5. See that ye refuse not him that speaketh: for if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven. 26. Whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven. 27. And this word, Yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain. 28. Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. 29. For our God is a consuming fire.
The Holy Spirit is shaking everything out of us who love and serve Him, so do not be surprised if you feel like you are being shaken. It is for our good and His glory. He wants to rule in every part of our lives.
Remember to pray for us, for each other, our nation, the nation of Israel, the Arab nations, and other nations of the world. Pray also that we see an increased number of Jewish people come to know Jesus Christ as their Messiah in the coming years. May God's richest blessings be yours, and have a wonderful Christmas and New Years.
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