July 19: LIGHTNING SPEED

“After this I looked, and there was another, like a leopard, which had on its back four wings of a bird. The beast also had four heads, and dominion was given to it.” Daniel 7:6

The conquests of Greece under the leadership of Alexander the Great were unparalleled for suddenness and swiftness. The sleek, carnivorous leopard is a fitting symbol for the third kingdom in Daniel’s dream. And, for added emphasis to the rapidity with which this military organization swept up world power, wings are added. Not two, but four! The unprecedented speed with which Alexander proceeded across the ancient world was a showcase of extraordinary military genius. Many of his strategies are studied by military leaders even today.

This third kingdom was represented by the belly and thighs of bronze (or brass) in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream (see 2:39b), also very fitting. Alexander’s incredibly successful campaign was accompanied by weapons and protective gear of bronze. This alloy of copper and tin provided better strength and durability in comparison with earlier materials of weaponry. Bronze is, of course, a less costly metal than silver. It is also much harder, in keeping with the trend of progressive brutality and diminished refinement.

Alexander took the throne at age 20 in 336BC, following the assassination of his father, Philip of Macedon. Philip was well known for his success in uniting the warring barbarian tribes of the Grecian territory south of Macedonia. Alexander did not hesitate to take charge of the formidable army built by his father. Under Philip, the small domain of Macedonia had become a united, flourishing kingdom whose society was built around development of the military machine. Boys began their military training at age seven and would graduate to officer level at age 18. The world-class army inherited by Alexander was led by experienced and loyal generals. Combined with Alexander’s own talent for exceptionally cunning military strategy, successive victories deep in the enemy territory of Persia quickly stripped power from the Persian empire in 331BC.

The sweep of Alexander the Great was vast and fast, leaving him with the enormous task of organizing and unifying all of the newly conquered territories, now larger than even Medo-Persia had been. But he preferred conquering others over administrative duties. It was rumored that he became depressed because there was no one left to conquer. At age 32, he fell ill and died following a drinking binge. With no heir, his answer to the question regarding who would take charge of the empire: “To the strongest.” This ambiguous statement sparked a power struggle among his formerly loyal generals. In 301BC, the kingdom was divided four ways between Ptolemy, Cassander, Lysimachus, and Seleucus, as represented by the leopard’s four heads.

… put on the new man who is renewed in the knowledge according to the image of Him who created him, where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free, but Christ is all and in all. Colossians 3:10-11

Note: As a child, Alexander had been tutored by Aristotle. This was the foundation for his widely-known affinity for Greek philosophy. This plays directly into the next kingdom in the lineup, and all the way through to our day: While in Egypt, Alexander launched what became the Alexandrian University. Education there became a fashionable blend of Greek philosophy, Egyptian occultism, and Jewish traditions. This was the seat of the convoluted teachings adopted by the “educated” Sanhedrin of Jesus’s day. Jesus spent much of His earthly ministry correcting the terribly misguided, unbiblical teachings of the Jewish leaders. But most refused to be corrected.