Who is the Real GOAT?

A remarkable prophecy about a famous leader is found in Daniel chapter 8. Daniel said, “Then I lifted my eyes and saw, and there, standing beside the river, was a ram which had two horns, and the two horns were high; but one was higher than the other, and the higher one came up last” (v. 3).  There is no question about what this ram represents. We have the interpretation straight from the angel Gabriel later in this chapter in verse 20: “The ram which you saw, having the two horns—they are the kings of Media and Persia.”

Then a different animal entered the scene. Verse 5 says, “And as I was considering, suddenly a male goat came from the west, across the surface of the whole earth, without touching the ground; and the goat had a notable horn between his eyes.” There is also no doubt about who this goat represents. Gabriel said in verse 21, “And the male goat is the kingdom of Greece. The large horn that is between its eyes is the first king.” Then Daniel continues: “Then he came to the ram that had two horns, which I had seen standing beside the river, and ran at him with furious power. And I saw him confronting the ram; he was moved with rage against him, attacked the ram, and broke his two horns. There was no power in the ram to withstand him, but he cast him down to the ground and trampled him; and there was no one that could deliver the ram from his hand” (vv. 6-7).

This goat—the army of Greece—came from the west. That corresponds geographically to Persia which was to the east of Greece. The male goat in verse 5—the Greek army—“came across the surface of the whole earth.” That is, the army was very large, well-trained, and highly motivated. And, the Greek army moved swiftly—“without touching the ground”—so quickly that it was like they lunged through the air when they struck. Verse 5 also says this goat had a “notable horn between his eyes.” Gabriel also tells us who that horn represents: “The large horn that is between its eyes is the first king” (v. 21). The king who led the Greek army against the Persians was none other than Alexander the Great. Here, in this chapter, Daniel foretold the conquest of Alexander over the Persians—over 200 years before it happened! That is in sharp contrast to Joseph Smith’s so-called prophecy of the American Civil War beginning in South Carolina!

It is an established fact of history that Alexander the Great led his army to defeat the Persians who were under Darius III in 331 B.C. Alexander was a bold and daring leader,

and Daniel’s statement that he “ran at him with furious power” and that he “was moved against him with rage” describe well what Alexander did. His father Philip of Macedon had been assassinated before he could lead an assault against the Persians, and his son was determined to finish what his father had started. Alexander defeated the much larger Persian army. As Daniel said, no one was able to help the Persians avoid this calamity. Alexander conquered many nations and secured a vast amount of territory. Then “when he became strong,” in the prime of his life, “the large horn was broken” (v. 8). He died at the young age of 32 in 323 B.C. Alexander the Great is still one of the most notable figures in history, but Bible readers will remember him as Alexander the goat.

This is not just a lesson in history before its happened. The book of Daniel shows that God, in the midst of wars and revolutions, preserved the promised nation throughout this chaos until the Messiah came to establish the kingdom Daniel said would “stand forever” (Dan. 2:44). That kingdom is the church (Col. 1:13; Rev. 1:9). This prophecy is also one of many reasons why we should believe the Bible is from God. How else could Daniel foretell the exact details of this world figure two hundred years before they happened?

Kerry

West End church of Christ • April 19, 2026