February 11, 2024|abomination of desolation, Al-Asqa, Al-Asqa Flood, Al-Asqa Storm, antichrist, daniel 8, dome of the rock, Dough Hamp, end times, false prophet, gaza, gog, he goat, Islam, israel, jerusalem, Joel Richardson, levitical priesthood, magog, mark of the beast, Mecca, messianic, Mystery Babylon, ottoman islamic empire, pre-trib rapture, prophecy, rapture, Rav Shlomo Yehuda, red heifer, revelation, russia, the beast, the ram, torah, two witnesses, water of purification, yeshua
America the He Goat…of Daniel 8! A New Scriptural Explanation…
We have got to face facts…we either have unlimited time for prophecy as taught by many modern prophecy teachers… or… we only have a limited amount of time for prophetic events to unfold as the Bible details because God raises us up like Jesus in resurrection on the third (millennial) day.
Hosea 6:2, After two days will he revive us: in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight.
If you have unlimited time any theory can come about…just like evolutionists believe. But if we are constrained by time and time is short, then current geopolitics must eventually merge with prophetic scripture. Are we right before the Day of the Lord?
Zephaniah 2:2, Before the decree bring forth, before the day pass as the chaff, before the fierce anger of the Lord come upon you, before the day of the Lord’s anger come upon you. 3 Seek ye the Lord, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgment; seek righteousness, seek meekness: it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the Lord’s anger. 4 For Gaza shall be forsaken, and Ashkelon a desolation: they shall drive out Ashdod at the noon day, and Ekron shall be rooted up. 5 Woe unto the inhabitants of the sea coast, the nation of the Cherethites! the word of the Lord is against you; O Canaan, the land of the Philistines, I will even destroy thee, that there shall be no inhabitant. 6 And the sea coast shall be dwellings and cottages for shepherds, and folds for flocks. 7 And the coast shall be for the remnant of the house of Judah; they shall feed thereupon: in the houses of Ashkelon shall they lie down in the evening: for the Lord their God shall visit them, and turn away their captivity.
Notice, this is immediately before the Day of the Lord, Daniel’s 70th Week. Those who see Gaza forsaken… will see what immediately follows… the Day of the Lord. Why is this prophecy so important? It is a time marker for all Bible believers who actually follow the Bible… not just claim to be believers. Once you see that, you don’t have unlimited time for popular – yet erroneous – prophecy teachings of the past 100 years to take place… you must reconsider your assumptions about the identities and timing of the symbols and beasts of the book of Daniel.
Here’s a simple hint. If the angel talking to Daniel specifically says the beasts or symbols are for the “time of the end”, then they are not symbols only for the past or over the past several millennia.
Daniel 8:17, 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.
Now we have a time context. Any assumptions you have about the identity of these two characters must comply with the timeframe “of the end” …and not in the past and not over the past several thousand years.
What you should be asking yourself is why, if these are the same characters as the other beasts of Daniel’s and Nebuchadnezzar’s other visions and dreams…why wouldn’t he use the same symbols? Why use a Ram and a He Goat? In fact, if neither of these characters are a part of the 4th Beast of Daniel…then why mention them at all?
Daniel 7:23, 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.
After all, nowhere in the 4th Beast do you find any characteristics of a Ram or a He Goat.
Revelation 13:1, 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 dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.
So, neither the Ram nor the He Goat are a part of the 4th Beast…so why mention them at all? Because Daniel was very upset by the 4th Beast and wanted to know when this Beast would crush the world.
Daniel 7:25, 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 time…28 Hitherto is the end of the matter. As for me Daniel, my cogitations much troubled me, and my countenance changed in me: but I kept the matter in my heart.
God lets Daniel dwell on this vision for a full two years before showing him more information that would give him the clue when the world would transition to the 4th Beast. This Daniel 8 Ram and He Goat prophecy is a time marker warning of what is immediately to follow, just like the Gaza prophecy of Zephaniah 2.
Neither the Ram nor the He Goat are a part of the 4th Beast.
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. 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. 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 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. 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. 10 And 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. 11 Yea, 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. 12 And an host was given him against the daily sacrifice by reason of transgression, and it cast down the truth to the ground; and it practised, and prospered.
Notice the geographical constraints. The Ram moves against the west, north, and south. The He Goat comes from the west not touching the ground and it goes over the “whole earth”. This would seem to indicate he is travelling from a great distance originating in the west.
The He Goat wins and none of the Ram’s allies can come to its aid. This speaks of an immense and speedy attack that is over nearly as quick as it has begun. In the aftermath, the He Goat becomes great. Whether that means in power or conquered land it does not say, nor does it demand that a great amount of time pass. Simply the horn (leader/power center) that rules the He Goat is broken and that nation/empire is then divided into four less powerful centers of power. Out of one of those centers of power emerges the False Prophet/Antichrist who ends up committing the Abomination of Desolation.
This vision is giving the backstory on where the False Prophet/Antichrist comes from and what events immediately precede his coming to power. So, neither the Ram nor the He Goat are the Beast. But the False Prophet/Antichrist comes out of one of the horns that arises when the He Goat’s great horn is broken. Daniel seeks clarification on why he is given the dream and what it means.
Daniel 8:15, And it came to pass, when I, even I Daniel, had seen the vision, and sought for the meaning, then, behold, there stood before me as the appearance of a man…And he said, Behold, I will make thee know what shall be in the last end of the indignation: for at the time appointed the end shall be. 20 The ram which thou sawest having two horns are the kings of Media and Persia. 21 And the rough goat is the king of Grecia: and the great horn that is between his eyes is the first king. 22 Now that being broken, whereas four stood up for it, four kingdoms shall stand up out of the nation, but not in his power. 23 And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall stand up.
Again, we don’t need to figure out when this happens. The Angel tells us. It is the end…right before the False Prophet/Antichrist comes to power. There is no mystery here. This is NOT historical. He even tells us who the Ram is…it is Media and Persia (Iran) in the end-time immediately before the transition to the 4th Beast. He even tells us who the He Goat is…he says it is the King of Grecia.
Now what many have done is try to say this is Alexander the Great and this all happened several thousand years ago. But the Angel has already said this is immediately before the Time of the End. What we have to ask ourselves is…
Is this prophecy historical and only about Alexander the Great and the breaking of his kingdom into 4 horns (kingdoms)? And out of one of these horns the False Prophet/Antichrist arises and then moves to the south, east, and the pleasant land. This leaves only one territory geographically… Yavan/Javan (Turkey).
Ionia was a territory in western Anatolia (modern-day Turkey) populated by the Ionians (Greeks who spoke the Ionian dialect) in c. 1150 BCE. It is best known as the birthplace of Greek philosophy (at Miletus) and the site of the Ionian Revolt which prompted the Persian invasion of Greece in 490 and 480 BCE. (https://www.worldhistory.org/ionia)
Or is this prophecy strictly in the end-time and not about Alexander the great, but about the “west”?
Given our constraints, the False Prophet/Antichrist cannot both be from the Great Horn that was broken and also from one of its four horns that came up in its place. Since he is geographically in the end time limited to moving to the south, east, and the pleasant land militarily, it would appear that he does come from Turkey. So that means this great He Goat is simply historical Alexander the Great and Greece or it means that in the end time there would appear to be a repeat of this prophecy or a dual fulfillment. Seed then Manifestation…God’s fractal.
If it is a dual fulfillment, then Turkey is not the great horn of the He Goat, but only one of its four horns that comes up in place of the Great Horn that was broken. I tend to believe the angel…it is about the end.
Does Turkey have the military capacity to strike without touching the ground and completely destroy Iran without any of Iran’s allies being able to come to its aide? Keep in mind Russia is a principal ally of Iran and Russia has considerable military might.
Turkey, once NATO’s staunch southeastern flank sentinel against the Soviet Union, still operates the alliance’s second-largest military. These days, NATO’s second-largest military has a problem with its aerial firepower. Turks are proud that their Air Force (TuAF) is the world’s ninth-largest. But it is not necessarily the ninth-strongest. According to the World Directory of Modern Military Aircraft, TuAF is not among the world’s top 15 militaries listed. (https://www.meforum.org/64905/turkey-an-air-force-without-wings)
It would seem unlikely that modern Turkey could fulfill the prophecy of Daniel 8’s He Goat. That leaves us in a quandary in regard to current geopolitics and timing. Again… given unlimited time… supposedly anything can happen. If we need to follow a Biblical timeline it would seem modern Turkey cannot fit the bill for the He Goat destroying the Ram (Iran) so completely and so quickly that none of its allies can help them.
If the He Goat and Ram prophecy is a time marker for Daniel that alerts us that the 4th Beast is about to rise, then Iran must fall in the end-time and it must be done by a powerful aerial attack. Let’s look at the top 10 aerial militaries in 2023.
Top 10 Largest Military Branches in the World (by number of Military Aircraft) – Flight International 2022:
- United States Air Force – 5,217
- United States Army Aviation – 4,409
- Russian Air Force – 3,863
- United States Navy – 2,464
- People’s Liberation Army Air Force (China) – 1,991
- Indian Air Force – 1,715
- United States Marine Corps – 1,157
- Egyptian Air Force – 1,062
- Korean People’s Army Air Force (North Korea) – 946
- South Korean Air Force – 898
(https://www.meforum.org/64905/turkey-an-air-force-without-wings)
Right about now you should be able to hear a pin drop. If Daniel 8 is referring to the West in general as a powerful empire and not Javan (Turkey) until the appearance of the False Prophet/Antichrist… then things change dramatically.
Who has motive to attack Iran right now in 2024? Has Iran been moving geographically to the north, west, and south in the past several decades via its proxies like Hamas and Hezbollah? The angel has already made it clear the Ram is Media/Persia (Iran). The question is… have we leaped to a wrong conclusion that Grecia, Javan, Turkey, Ionia is simply and only the country of Turkey or is a prophetic reference to the Western Empire called the USA?
When you think of the USA don’t think of it only as the lower 48 states and two hangers on… Alaska and Hawaii. But think of the USA as an empire that inherited post WW2 the reins of power of the British Empire controlling nations worldwide and with NATO as its own special fiefdom.
What happens if the post WW2 Empire of the USA, British Empire, NATO, and auxiliary nations is the “Grecia” West empire of the He Goat that conquers Iran without touching the ground with such speed that none of its allies can help? As we speak NATO is checkmating Russia with one of the biggest NATO “exercises” since WW2.
Steadfast Defender 24; NATO’s largest exercise in decades, Steadfast Defender 2024 tests the Alliance’s new defense plans and ability to quickly deploy forces. (https://www.defense.gov/Spotlights/Steadfast-Defender-24)
Meanwhile Israel is checkmating Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Netanyahu defends Gaza response: ‘I think we’re doing the right thing’ (https://thehill.com/policy/international/4461252-netanyahu-defends-gaza-response-i-think-were-doing-the-right-thing/)
Iran will keep supporting Hezbollah – FM Amirabdollahian (https://www.africanews.com/2024/02/10/iran-will-keep-supporting-hezbollah-fm-amirabdollahian)
What we are seeing here in dramatic clarity is the unfolding of the Daniel 8 alarm clock for the coming of the 4th Beast. Daniel wanted some clarity on the transition warning that is in Daniel 8. The He Goat and the Ram are not a part of the 4th Beast, but the False Prophet/Antichrist will arise out of one of the lesser 4 horns that come up out of this formerly great empire of the He Goat. If the False Prophet arises out of Turkey, then that means Turkey would currently be a part of this great He Goat empire. This would appear to be the case.
Turkey has been a member of NATO since 1952, has its second largest army and is the host of the Allied Land Command headquarters. The Incirlik and Konya Airbases have both been involved in several NATO military operations since their establishment. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turkey_in_NATO)
Turkey is a member of this “western” Grecia empire… currently. If Daniel 8 shows any end-time events, then this means it is likely the USA empire is the great He Goat of Daniel 8 and after it destroys Iran (Media/Persia) this horn on the He Goat becomes great… whether that be military, financially from the oil, or territorial by making it a part of its empire and taking the profits… we are yet to see.
But either way it does not demand that it take a lot of time. If the horn is symbolic of a president or a king, then it would have to happen very quickly as presidents of the USA have a time limit on how long they can serve. If the horn is emblematic of a power center… then it could be a little longer.
Either way the Great Horn is broken sometime after this event. The question is how. Could it be that the He Goat’s horn is broken from a counter attack from the Great Bear?
Daniel 7:5, And behold another beast, a second, like to a bear, and it raised up itself on one side, and it had three ribs in the mouth of it between the teeth of it: and they said thus unto it, Arise, devour much flesh.
Could it be that the debt of the USA finally causes us to collapse just like Russia back in the 1980’s and 1990’s?
Could it be that the USA is divided by civil war?
Could it be that the USA is subject to one of the events of Matthew 24 or one of the Trumpets of Revelation?
There are many ways that nations have lost power and empires have lost synergy over the centuries. The “how” may not be as important as the certainty of it occurring. It would seem much more likely that the USA is the He Goat of Daniel 8 and Turkey arises in power after NATO and the USA have lost their ability to influence the world, which leaves a power vacuum in the Middle East with Israel fending for herself.
The second option is Turkey attacks Iran… wins… then is broken into 4 with the False Prophet/Antichrist arising in short order afterwards with enough strength to dominate the Middle East then the world. Which option is more likely given our current geopolitical constraints?
But hey…given enough time…even evolution can happen…right? Working within the time and geographical constraints we may be on the very edge of some major world-shaking change…right before the start of the Day of the Lord right here in the good ole USA.
Church wake up!
Get back to your Bibles and get back to the truth. I’d also suggest you check out my latest book, “Broken: What if the First 4 Seals are Broken Before the Tribulation?” by Ken Mentell. You can buy the book series on Amazon.
Leave a comment