September 7: DIVIDED GREECE

And when he has arisen, his kingdom shall be broken up and divided toward the four winds of heaven, but not among his posterity nor according to his dominion with which he ruled; for his kingdom shall be uprooted, even for others besides these. Daniel 11:4

The reach of the Grecian Empire was broader than any kingdom before it. Alexander was a brilliant military commander, despite being very young. He was only about 18 or 19, when his father, Philip of Macedon, was assassinated. His string of conquests began at age 20 and reached completion in his late 20s. But when he had arisen to the pinnacle of power, he exhausted his health with riotous living. A night of heavy drinking left him too weak to fight a minor illness. Within two weeks he was dead at age 32.

Just as prophesied his kingdom [was] broken up and divided toward the four winds of heaven, north, south, east, and west.  Within a few short years, all of Alexander’s posterity fell victim to the jealous ambition of his numerous generals. Over the next quarter century, they battled for supremacy, and the four who came out on top tore the kingdom into four parts, fulfilling the prophecy that the kingdom would not go to his posterity nor according to his dominion with which he ruled. The divided kingdom of Greece was in a weakened state for a century and a half, the details of which exquisitely align with the prophetic Scriptures.

The four “winning” generals, power-hungry and aggressive, were symbolized by the four heads of the leopard (7:6) and the four horns of the male goat (8:8). These were: Cassander (west), Lysimachus (north), Seleucus (east), Ptolemy (south). Each worked to establish their own dynasty, and over the next few decades, the initial divisions fluctuated due to wars and shifting alliances.

In the very middle of these divisions was Israel. Not only was the “traffic” of those traveling between the northern areas (Syria) and southern areas (Egypt), straight through Palestine, there was also the constant political push-and-pull of these upon the inhabitants of the Promised Land.

Also the king of the South shall become strong, as well as one of his princes; and he shall gain power over him and have dominion. His dominion shall be a great dominion. 11:5

At this point in history, the king of the South was Ptolemy. The Egyptian realm was well-known for influence and strength. Seleucus actually became one of his princes, having been driven in 316BC from Babylonia by his rival (Antigonus) and had no choice but to place himself under the command of Ptolemy I. Four years later, Seleucus assisted Ptolemy in defeating the son of Antigonus (Demetrius) at Gaza. Shortly thereafter, Seleucus regained power in his former Mesopotamian territories and grew in strength and power that exceeded that of Ptolemy. By the time he died (281BC) his dominion stretched from modern day Turkey to northern India, fulfilling the prophecy that his dominion shall be a great dominion.

Remember the former things of old, For I am God, and there is none like Me, Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things that are not yet done, Saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, And I will do all My pleasure…calling a bird of prey from the east…I bring My righteousness near, it shall not be far off; My salvation shall not linger, And I will place salvation in Zion, for Israel My glory.’ Isaiah 46:9,10,11a,13 (Note: Israel means Overcomer with God)