Who was Alexander The Great?

QUESTION: Who was Alexander the Great? What does he have to do with biblical prophecy?

ANSWER:

Alexander the Great was one of the most successful military commanders in human history. At the age of 20, he gained control of the Greek army and quickly conquered territories east of Greece, all the way to India. When he was 33-years-old, he suddenly died from a mysterious illness.

The book of Daniel, which was written 250 years before Alexander was born, describes him in finite detail from the beginning of his reign to the end:

"As I was thinking about this, suddenly a goat with a prominent horn between his eyes came from the west, crossing the whole earth without touching the ground. He came toward the two-horned ram I had seen standing beside the canal and charged at him in great rage. I saw him attack the ram furiously striking the ram and shattering his two horns. The ram was powerless to stand against him; the goat knocked him to the ground and trampled on him, and none could rescue the ram from his power. The goat became very great, but at the height of his power his large horn was broken off, and in its place four prominent horns grew up toward the four winds of heaven" (Daniel 8:5-8).

The Bible interpreted the dream for Daniel. In verses 20-22 it says, "The two-horned ram that you saw represents the kings of Media and Persia. The shaggy goat is the king of Greece and the large horn between his eyes in the first king. The four horns that replaced the one that was broken off represent four kingdoms that will emerge from this nations but will not have the same power."

Thus, Alexander the Great fell ill in May of 323 and died on June 11. Even though he left an heir, the Greeks revolted and Alexander's officers began a civil war.

Some biblical scholars disagree with the interpretation of Daniel's dream. They say it did not identify Alexander the Great, but predicts the end times to come. As with most of the Bible, events that happened in the past seem to be repeated in the future. Man's character and actions do not change, just the circumstances.

There may be another Alexander the Great on the horizon. Only time will tell.