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Daniel saw
Europe emerging
out from the shadow of the United
States and becoming independent. He saw Europe being
dominated by four nations (8:8). In the next few verses he
describes a great power that emerges to stand on its own.
Out of one of them came another horn, which started small but
grew in power to the south and to the east (Dan 8:9).
The horn starts off small but grows extremely large. This is a
picture of the United States standing alone and achieving enormous
power. The United States already has unprecedented
power. Its
economy is the largest in the world. No nation or group of nations
can match its military power.
The little horn becomes strong to the South and then towards the
East. The United States is already powerful in the Middle East
(the King of the South). Having taken control
of Iraq, the United States will have enormous power over the
surrounding countries. Iraq has borders with
Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Syria, Turkey and Iran. It is a wedge
right through the middle of the region, so military control over
Iraq will give the United States enormous power in the Middle East.
The little horn also becomes strong to the East. The word translated as "east" means the "rising
sun". The other threat to United States power at the
current time is North Korea, which is developing nuclear
weapons. Korea means "land of the morning
calm". This passage might indicating that after the United
States has dealt with Iraq, it will sort out North Korea.
With these victories behind it, the United States will be in a
position to exert its hegemony throughout the entire world. Whether this
will be for good or evil is difficult to determine.
Strange Mixture
The United States dominates the
world, yet it is a strange mixture of good and evil. The United States was
established on a foundation of faith and has received tremendous
blessing from the Lord. There are more Christians in the
United States and it sends out more missionaries than any other
nation. However, they seem to be losing the battle for
the heart of their nation. While paying lip service to the Lord,
the people of the United States have bowed to the idols of
humanism, warfare and materialism.
The philosophy of humanism now
dominates the political, legal and social decision-making
processes throughout the United States. The nation has
become a centre from which humanism has been exported into all the
world. The American movie, television and music industries shape the
universal culture that is sweeping the world. Together with the universities, these
industries have spread the secularism that is rampant in the
western world.
The American people declare their
trust in God, yet they seem to have become extremely
materialistic. There has often been more concern
about advancing the power and prosperity of American business,
than spreading the gospel. In the third world, American
companies have often put profits ahead of the welfare of people.
The United States has developed
an enormous arsenal of weapons (including nuclear weapons), and it now trusts in
them for its security. It has made a god of war, by using its war
machine to further its interests throughout the world. America has
become the world's policeman, but often in its own
interests. The current attack on Iraq is a
demonstration of America's faith in military weapons.
The United States has such
enormous and unprecedented military and economic power that it
hard to see where it will end. To understand what
Daniel prophesied about the United States look at the Terrible
Beast.
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