Today’s selected reading continues in the Old Testament prophetic book of Daniel, and more specifically, is found in verses fifteen through twenty-seven of the eighth chapter. What we read in this particular set of verses is actually the interpretation that is directly associated with the vision Daniel received during the third year of the reign of Belshazzar king of Babylon. Consider first the vision the prophet Daniel sees as it begins to unfold in the second verse: “And I saw in a vision; and it came to pass, when I saw, that I was at Shushan in the palace, which is in the province of Elam; and I saw in a vision, and I was by the river of Ulai. Then I lifted up mine eyes, and saw, and, behold, there stood before the river a ram which had two horns: and the two horns were high; but one was higher than the other, and the higher came up last. 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. 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. 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. And I saw him come close unto the ram, and he was moved with choler against him, and smote the ram, and break 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. 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 twoard the four winds of heaven. 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. 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. Yea, he magnified himself even to the prince of the host, and by him the daily sacrifice was taken away, and the place of his sanctuary was cast down. 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 practiced, and prospered” (Daniel 8:2-12).

What immediately follows the vision of the ram, the goat, and the horns is an exchange that takes place between two saints: “Then I heard one saint speaking, and another saint said unto that certain saint which s lake, How long shall be the vision concerning the daily sacrifice, and the transgression of desolation, to give both the sanctuary and the host to be trodden under foot? And he said unto me, Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed” (Daniel 8:13-14). What we read in this particular passage of Scripture is essentially a prophetic vision that was released unto the prophet Daniel concerning two empires that would emerge upon the earth—one empire that was already present and existed upon the earth and a second that would come after. It’s incredibly interesting to note that the vision which Daniel saw concerned the next two prophetic empires and kingdoms that would emerge upon the earth. You will recall that this particular vision came unto Daniel during the third year of the reign of Belshazzar king of Babylon, which means that Darius the Mede had not yet led the Medes and the Persians toward and against the people and land of the Chaldeans. The fact that this vision came during the days and reign of Belshazzar king of Babylon suggests that the Lord was releasing revelation unto the prophet Daniel concerning that which was going to unfold in the days to come. While Babylon was still the dominant force and authority upon the earth, the Lord already began revealing that which was going to unfold in the coming days. You will recall that the Lord had already begun revealing future empires and kingdoms emerging upon the earth during the reign of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, for within the dream he dreamt upon his bed he saw an image made up of various materials and metals. The interpretation of the dream would go on to reveal how Nebuchadnezzar was the head of gold, and how that head of gold represented the Babylonian empire. The day would come when the head of gold would be succeeded by another kingdom and empire that would emerge in its place. The prophetic image within the dream of Nebuchadnezzar was a powerful revelation—and even expectation if you will—of future kingdoms and empires emerging upon the earth.

Beginning with the second chapter of the prophetic book of Daniel, and through the dream which Nebuchadnezzar dreamt upon his bed the Lord begins to set the expectation that Babylon would not remain in power and authority upon the earth forever. There would come a day when the time of and the time for the Babylonians would draw to a close, and the Babylonians would be succeeded by another. A CLASH OF KINGDOMS AND A GAME OF THRONES! One of the most profound truths surrounding the prophetic language that is contained within this book is how the Lord was ordaining and orchestrating the various kingdoms and empires that would emerge upon the earth. It’s actually quite interesting how even before the next successive empires and kingdoms emerged upon the earth, the Lord already determined and ordained who would have authority and dominion upon the earth. It’s worth noting that even while man might engage in their game of thrones upon the earth, and even though there might be a clash of kingdoms that unfolds upon the earth, it is the Lord who ordains authority and dominion upon the earth. This is actually quite remarkable when you consider the fact that it was never the Lord’s desire, will or intention that Gentiles and heathen be given—much less exercise—authority and dominion upon the earth. Men and women might play their game of thrones upon the earth, yet it is the Lord of hosts Himself who oversees all the authority and dominion that is exercised upon the earth. It was true that there would be various kingdoms and empires that would emerge upon the earth, yet there has never been a kingdom that has emerged upon the earth without and apart from the Lord’s knowledge and understanding. There has never been a single empire that has emerged upon the earth without the Lord’s intimate and express knowledge and understanding concerning such kingdom. Moreover, there has never been a single throne that has been established within and upon the earth that has ever emerged without and apart from the Lord’s intimate awareness, knowledge and understanding regarding those thrones. No king, no prince, no prince, no ruler, no president, no prime minister, no leader within any nation of the earth has ever emerged without the Lord permitting and allowing such authority to be manifested upon the earth.

I am convinced there is a tremendous amount of encouragement in the knowledge that there is never and there has never been a single throne or kingdom that has emerged within and upon the earth without the Lord’s will being directly connected and associated with it. Men would like to think, and they would like to believe that they somehow are responsible for authority and dominion that is and has been given unto them, yet the truth of the matter is that that simply is not the case. There has never been a single throne that has been established upon the earth that has ever emerged without the Lord permitting and even allowing it to happen. Taking this a step further—when you read the seventh and eighth chapters of the prophetic book of Daniel, you will notice that it wasn’t simply kingdoms and empires that emerged upon the earth, but kingdoms and empires that posed a great danger and threat to the inhabitants upon the earth. Consider the language that is recorded concerning the beasts which Daniel saw emerging from the great sea in the seventh chapter: “And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another. The first was like a lion, and had eagle’s wings: I beheld till the wings thereof were plucked, and it was lifted up from the earth, and made stand upon the feet as a man, and a man’s heart was given to it. 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. 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. After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a four beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns” (Daniel 7:2-7). This particular set of verses describes four beasts that would emerge upon the earth—beasts which would exercise dominion and authority upon the earth. What’s more, is certain of these beasts would devour much flesh, and would devour and break in pieces. The third beast was given the ability to devour much flesh, while the fourth beast was dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly. This fourth beast had great iron teeth and it devoured and broke in p icees, and stamped the residue with the feet of it.

Take any throne, take any kingdom, take any empire, take any empire that has ever existed upon the earth—regardless of how fierce and terrible they might have been, and you must ultimately come to the understanding that there has not been a single one that has emerged without the Lord’s knowledge. Even though we find and read words such as what are recorded in the second chapter of the book of the Psalms, neither the heathen or Gentiles can move and operate outside the parameters ordained by the Lord of hosts Himself. Regardless of what may very well take place upon the earth within and among the kingdoms and empires, there is not a single activity that takes place outside the parameters the Lord has already ordained and established. Take for example the sea and the sand, and how the Lord has ordained a border and boundary that exists between the sea and the shore, and that the sea is only destined to go so far. Of course there are times when the waters of the sea do cross over and pass beyond the borders and boundaries, yet not even these times occur absent the knowledge and understanding of the Lord of hosts. Consider any tsunami, any flood, any hurricane that causes the waves of the sea to crash over the boundary of the shore, and none of it takes place without the Lord permitting and allowing it. The very fact that the Lord revealed unto Daniel intimate knowledge regarding kingdoms and empires that emerged upon the earth suggests the Lord’s supreme authority and sovereignty over them. I can’t help but see how absolutely interconnected sovereignty and knowledge are, for it was precisely because the Lord was sovereign over nations, kingdoms and empires that He was able to release and reveal knowledge concerning those nations and kingdoms that would emerge upon the earth. Despite the strength, despite the power, despite the authority, despite the dominion that was given unto the nations and kingdoms that emerged upon the earth, the Lord has always and will always be sovereign and supreme over them all. It is for this reason the prophetic dream of Nebuchadnezzar was so significant, for despite the various kingdoms and empires that would emerge upon the earth, there would emerge one final kingdom upon the earth that would consume and destroy them all. There would be a stone that would be cut out without human hands that would strike the image of the kingdoms of the earth at its feet, and would cause the entire image to collapse and eventually be consumed.

It’s worth noting that in the prophetic dream given unto Nebuchadnezzar—despite the fact that kingdoms and empires emerged upon the earth, there would be one kingdom that would emerge upon the earth that would remain upon the earth when all other kingdoms and empires would be no more. Pause for a moment and consider that reality—the reality that there is coming a day when kingdoms and empires, nations and thrones will be no more upon the earth. There is coming a day upon the earth when every kingdom and empire that has ever been in existence upon the earth will be completely consumed and crushed by the kingdom of heaven as it emerges and manifests upon the earth. The stone which struck the image in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream would not only strike the image and cause it to be crushed and swept away by the wind, but that stone would emerge upon the earth as a kingdom that would fill the entire earth. There might very well be kingdoms and empires that exist upon the earth, yet there is absolutely no kingdom that can stand in the way of the kingdom of heaven. This is what is so absolutely beautiful about the New Testament—specifically the four Gospels, as well as the book of Acts—for within these books we witness the powerful demonstration and manifestation of the kingdom of heaven upon the earth. On more than one occasion Jesus the Christ spoke about the kingdom of heaven being present upon the earth, and not only being present upon the earth, but actually being present within us. The four Gospel accounts of the life and ministry of Jesus demonstrate and reveal the tremendous power, the tremendous authority, the tremendous dominion of the kingdom of heaven, and how the government of heaven can in fact cripple and bring nations and kingdoms to its knees. It was the kingdom of heaven being manifested within and among the saints of the early Church that would ultimately threaten the Roman Empire, and would become a tremendous thorn in their flesh. What would begin with Jews persecuting Christians would eventually become Rome itself launching persecution against the Christians in order to eliminate them from the earth. Time after time Rome attempted to directly destroy the manifestation of the kingdom of heaven upon the earth, as was manifested in the lives of the saints of the early Church.

As the revelation and understanding of this particular vision begins to be unveiled to Daniel we encounter the identity of both the ram and the goat. In the twentieth verse of this chapter we discover that “the ram which thou sawest having two horns are the kings of Media and Persia.” In the twenty-first verse of this same chapter we discover the identity of the goat which was the king of Grecia, thus revealing the identity of the ram as Media and Persia and the goat as Greece. Within this particular vision the prophet Daniel is given understanding concerning events which had not yet begun to be unfolded, nor which had come to pass. The Lord was revealing unto Daniel what was still to come in the coming days, for there would be two empires and kingdoms that would emerge upon the earth. What is so striking about the emergence and rise of empires and kingdoms upon the earth is how empires seem to be succeeded by another. One empire and kingdom emerges upon the earth and fulfills its purpose within it and is eventually and ultimately succeeded by another. Within the Old Testament alone we read of five distinct empires that would emerge upon the earth—empires such as Assyria, Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome. Although we do not actually find any history of the Grecian or Roman empire in the Old Testament, we are nonetheless made aware of their presence upon the earth. One has to wonder why the Lord would allow kingdoms and empires to emerge upon the face of the earth. It wasn’t simply that kingdoms and empires emerged upon the earth, but that with each successive empire the dominion that empire exercised grew larger and larger. If you examine the territory these empires commanded, you will clearly see that as time progressed, the dominion each empire exercised upon the earth would grow larger and would become more fierce. Consider that the third empire would devour much flesh, but that the fourth empire would stamp upon the ground the residue of the earth. With each new empire and kingdom that emerged upon the earth, the fierceness and ferocity of such empires would increase, as each successive empire would command more authority and dominion upon the earth. Consider how vast the territory of the Roman Empire was compared to that of Assyria, or even that of Babylon and the other empires. What’s more, is that it isn’t and wasn’t until Jesus the Christ stepped on to the scene that a different type of authority and dominion would begin to be exercised upon the earth. This is perhaps what is so powerful about the life and ministry of Jesus Christ, for His presence upon the earth manifested and brought forth an authority and dominion that was completely different from the authority and dominion that had been exercised upon the earth.

When I consider the four-hundred years of silence that ensued between the Old Covenant and the New Covenant, I can’t help but also consider that time as not only being a time of silence, but also as a time when the heathen and Gentiles exercised their own dominion and authority upon the earth. Those four-hundred years of silence weren’t just four centuries without any open vision from heaven, or any prophetic word from the Lord, but they were four centuries when the people of God exercised absolutely no authority or dominion upon the earth. The four-hundred silent years were characterized both by the silence of the Lord of hosts, as well as the exercising of the dominion and authority of Gentiles upon the earth. One cannot help but wonder if these two realities—the silence of God and the exercising of dominion upon the earth by Gentiles—as being intrinsically connected with each other. One cannot help but wonder if in the silence of the voice of God, and in the absence of the people of God walking in and exercising their authority and dominion upon the earth, kingdoms, empires, nations, kings, princes, rulers, and the like are permitted to exercise their own dominion and authority upon the earth. It’s imperative to note and understand that despite the fact that the people of God had been returned and restored unto their own land, they were not walking in, nor were they exercising their own dominion and authority upon the earth. Is it possible that the people of God can be restored to the place of inheritance, promise and blessing, and yet not walk in or exercise the authority and dominion they were created and intended on manifesting? The children of Israel had been returned and restored from their captivity and exile, yet when they returned to their own land, they no longer had any authority or dominion upon the earth. When the children of Israel were returned and restored unto their own inheritance, they did so during the days of Cyrus king of Persia, thus indicating that dominion and authority was being exercised by another. HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN FORFEITING YOUR AUTHORITY UPON THE EARTH? HOW LONG HAVE OTHERS BEEN WALKING IN AUTHORITY YOU WERE DESTINED TO WALK IN? It is absolutely necessary and imperative that we pay close attention to these questions, for the authority which Israel was intended on walking in was forfeited long before the four-hundred years of silence. The Assyrians were able to successfully invade the northern kingdom, sack the capital city of Samaria, and carry away captive the inhabitants of that land. The Babylonians were able to successfully invade the southern kingdom, lay siege to the city of Jerusalem, burn the Temple of the Lord to the ground, and carry away captive countless inhabitants of the land. By the time the Medes and the Persians emerged on to the scene, the authority and dominion which the Jewish people were intended on exercising upon the earth had long been vacant and absent.

The four-hundred years of silence did have the people of God dwelling within the land of their inheritance, yet there were kingdoms and empires that were exercising their own dominion and authority upon the earth. The authority and dominion that was exercised during the days of David, and which would later be enjoyed by Solomon would no longer be manifested upon the earth, as Daniel would witness the Babylonian empire be overtaken by the Medes and the Persians led by Darius the Mede. The entire seventy years the Jewish people were living as captives and exiles in the land of the Chaldeans Babylon exercised its authority and dominion upon the face of the earth—an authority that was permitted by the Lord of hosts. Eventually the time would come when that authority and dominion must come to an end, and it would be succeeded and followed up by the Medes and the Persians who would exercise an entirely different authority and dominion upon the earth. For four-hundred years the earth was not only thrust into a period of silence from heaven, but also into a period of the authority and dominion of Gentiles. THE SILENCE OF GOD AND THE DOMINION OF GENTILES! Those four-hundred years between testaments and covenants would be characterized by the silence of God, as well as by the exercising of dominion by Gentile kingdoms and empires. What we read in the prophetic book of Daniel is a prophetic word concerning those kingdoms and empires that would emerge upon the earth which would exercise their own dominion and authority upon the earth. When Malachi spoke the prophetic words revealed unto him, he would do so during the days of the Persian empire and its authority and dominion upon the earth. When the prophetic ministry that was ordained for Malachi to draw to a close, the whole earth would be thrust into a period of tremendous silence from heaven, as well as a period when Gentiles and not the people of God would exercise dominion upon the earth. Daniel saw the Grecian empire emerging in the place of the Medo-Persian empire being led by the first king, which was Alexander the Great. Alexander the Great would conquer a vast portion of the earth during that period of silence, and the dominion and authority of Greece would be manifested upon the face of the earth. Daniel would go on to see that the large horn would be broken, and in its place four smaller kingdoms would emerge upon the earth. The prophetic book of Daniel not only describes the kingdoms and empires that would emerge upon the earth after the time of the Babylonian empire had come to an end, but also of a powerful king and ruler that would emerge upon the earth in the latter days. That which Daniel saw not only pertained to the coming days when Persia, Greece and Rome would each exercise their own dominion upon the earth, as well as that which would take place upon the earth as there would emerge a powerful king and ruler who would unleash havoc upon the earth.