Saddam is the commander whose power will be greater than that
of Iran (Persia).
The rise of Saddam Hussein is also described in Daniel 8. The ram beside
the canal has two horns, that represent two rulers over two
nations. Daniel says that the horn that comes up second is longer,
which means that it is more powerful. However, the two horns still
exist when the empire is attacked (v.7), so the ram represents two
kingdoms side by side. They are both dominated by the same
spiritual power, the Prince of Persia (Dan 10:11,13).
The first horn is Iran, which is led by the Shiite spiritual
leader, Ayatollah Khomenei and his successors. Iran had shown all
the characteristics of the ram; no nation had been able to stand
against it (except Iraq). Daniel confirmed this when he said that
the ram is the Kings of Media and Persia (Dan 8:21). Persia is the
site of modern day Iran.
The second horn is linked to the King of Media. In Daniel's
time, Babylon was conquered by Darius the Mede (Dan 5:31). The
city of Babylon was modern day Iraq. Saddam Hussein was born in a
village close to the ruins of Babylon. He had some of the
old city rebuilt. He was controlled by the same spirit as
controlled Babylon in the time of Daniel.
The second horn on the Ram is Iraq led by Saddam Hussein, and
his successors. He rose up later than the Ayatollah Khomenei, but
he became more influential. No nation was able to stand against
him until he he was struck down (by the long horned goat).
George Bush Snr, the president of the most powerful nation in the
world, was unable to get rid of Saddam Hussein, even though he inflicted a defeat on his army in
Kuwait. The United States established a
no-fly zone over much of Iraq and imposed severe trade sanctions,
but they were not able to depose Saddam Hussein. Saddam
survived and became stronger.
When warning his people to prepare for Desert
Storm, Saddam said, "Let everybody understand that this battle is going
to become the mother and father of all battles." This was a
prophetic. His machinations would eventually begin the series
of battles
between the King North and the King of the South and the Man of
Intrigue described in Daniel 11,12.
Iran and Iraq were united in 1990, when the leading Iranian Ayatollah
declared the Iraqi struggle against the United States to be a
'Holy War'. They also settled their border dispute.
The two nations were united further when America withdrew from Iraq and left
Shiite political parties with strong links to Iran in control of Iraq.