Study Desk

The male goat is the king of Greece, and the large horn between his eyes is the first king.

The broken horn and the four horns that grew in its place are the four nations which will come from his nation. But they will not be as powerful.

He will become very strong, but not by his own power. He will destroy much, and do well in whatever he wants done. He will destroy powerful men and the holy people.

He will do well by using his false ways and lies, and will think of himself as great. He will destroy many who are taking it easy. He will even go against the Prince of princes. Yet he will be destroyed, but not by a human hand.

In the first year of his rule, I, Daniel, understood the books which were given by the Lord through Jeremiah that Jerusalem would lie waste for seventy years.

We have not obeyed the voice of the Lord our God by following the Laws He gave us through His servants who spoke for Him.

So the Lord brought trouble upon us. For the Lord our God is right and good in all He does, but we have not obeyed His voice.

I was speaking and praying, and telling the Lord my sin and the sin of my people Israel. I was asking the Lord my God to show favor to His holy mountain.

His body was like shining stone. His face looked like lightning. His eyes were like fire. His arms and feet were like shining brass. And his voice was like the noise of many people.

Then I heard the sound of his words. And as soon as I heard him speak, I fell into a deep sleep with my face to the ground.

I tell you the truth. Three more kings will rule over Persia. Then a fourth will become much richer than all of them. As soon as he becomes strong because of his riches, he will move everyone against the nation of Greece.

But as soon as he has risen to power, his nation will be broken and divided to the four winds of heaven. It will not be divided among his own children, or because of his own power. For his power will be taken and given to others besides these.

"Then the king of the South will become strong. But one of his leaders will become stronger than he and will rule with much power.

After some years they will join together. The daughter of the king of the South will come to the king of the North to make an agreement. But she will not keep her power, and he will not keep his. She will be killed, together with those who brought her, and her father, and the one who helped her.

But one of her family will become king in his place. He will fight against the army and go into the strong city of the king of the North. He will fight against them and win.

Then the king of the North will go to fight against the king of the South, but will return to his own land.

"His sons will get ready for war and gather together a very large army. They will come like a flood and pass through, and fight in battle as far as his strong city.

The king of the South will be very angry and will go and fight with the king of the North, who will have a very large army. But his army will be given over to the king of the South.

When the army is taken away, the king of the South will become very proud, and he will kill tens of thousands. But his strength will not last.

He will plan to come with the strength of his whole nation and will make a peace agreement with the king of the South. He will give him a daughter in marriage to try to destroy his nation. But she will not help him or be on his side.