Trustworthy Prophecy

 In a divinely inspired dream, the prophet Daniel saw a series of four beasts rising out of the sea, each representing a successive world power. The first beast. a winged lion, represented Babylon. The second, "like a bear." The account continues:  "This is what they were saying to it, 'Get up, each much flesh." (Daniel 7:5) The fearsome bear pictured Medo-Persia.

True to Daniel's prophecy, Medo-Persia displayed a voracious appetite for conquest. Not long after Daniel's vision, Cyrus defeated the Medes and then waged war against neighboring Lydia and Babylon. His son Cambyses II conquered Egypt. Later Medo-Perian rulers expanded the empire even farther.

How can we be sure of this interpretation? In a separate but related vision, Daniel saw a ram "making thrusts to the west and to the north and to the south." The prophecy was fulfilled when Medo-Persia made "thrusts" against other nations, including mighty Babylon. An angel of God interpreted this vision, saying to Daniel: "The ram that you saw possessing the two horns stands for the kings of Media and Persia." - DANIEL 8:3, 4, 20. 

Next time: Trustworthy Prophecy - Conclusion

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