Daniel 7:6 After this I beheld, and lo another, like a leopard, which had upon the back of it four wings of a fowl; the beast had also four heads and dominion was given to it.
This is the short description of the Prophecy of the third"beast" (kingdom) to rule this part of the world. Described as a leopard indicates the swiftness with which Alexander the Great overtook the Persian Empire. He was known for being blood-thirsty, cruel, reckless, and storming into battle. Like the way a leopard will run with total confidence, attack its prey, and rip it to shreds without any consideration of harm to itself.
The beast had four wings. This is twice as many wings as seen on the first beast having two wings of an eagle. This would make this beast twice as fast as the first beast and indeed, Alexander the Great was such a leader.
Alexander took over the military at the age of 20 and aggressively led them to many victories. He died at the young age of 32 from an illness, but in that short twelve year period he led the entire region (including what is now Israel) to adopt the Greek language and culture. The entire New Testament was written in Greek. This is due to Alexander the Great’s leadership and influence. It’s one thing to take the land of a people, it’s quite another to change their language.
The beast had also four heads and dominion was given to it. After the death of Alexander the Great, the Empire was divided into four separate dynasties: Cassander over Macedonia and Greece, Lysimachus over Thrace and Bithynia, Ptolemy over Egypt, and Seleucus over Syria.
No one knows exactly the cause of death of Alexander. He had been stabbed in the chest two years prior to his death leaving him with only one lung, but he continued in his quest to conquer more territory and people. Historians do agree he was given to extreme recklessness, drunkenness, and cruelty, but more than anything he was known to be a warlord and a power monger.
The evil spirits of control and dominance seem to be the controlling spirits leading Alexander. These spirits are deadly. No matter how much power is attained, this spirit is never satisfied. Eventually, it will bring down the greatest of leaders just as it did Alexander the Great.
As believers and followers of Jesus, we must be mindful of this spirit that easily worms its way into our lives. We see this in every facet of our society. In the home, we often find a dominating person who has little to no consideration of the feelings of the other family members who live there.
The spirit of control is very prevalent in the business world. The owner or boss has the power to hire, fire, and treat employees any way they choose and in many cases, they do. The political world is also filled with people ministered to by this evil spirit and they live their lives seeking more power and greater name recognition.
I suppose we should expect this in the world, but when we find it in the fellowships of Christianity, we see whole ministries crumble. God will not bless a ministry controlled by the spirit of dominance. Jesus is the only Name worthy to be lifted up.
If there is a controlling influence in your life that is not Jesus Christ, make it a matter of prayer to correct this problem as it is EXTREMELY destructive and will end in failure every time. If you are the culprit, repent and rebuke this spirit from your life. Seek humility and the Lord will bless you.
If you are intimidated and dominated by a person stricken with this spirit, pray for them. Ask the Lord to reveal the Truth to them and show them the Way to Victory which will result in humility. One day every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. He is our Savior and our Leader. Only He is worthy of all Power and Control.
He has the Power to……..turn the tide
Lifting up the Name of Jesus, Doreen
www.bettsministries.org
