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Four Beasts
In summary, there are four beasts coming up from the sea (humanity): [1] like a lion, [2] like a bear, [3] like a leopard, and finally [4] a ten-horned beast. These beasts are "four kings [and kingdoms, see below] who will [or shall] arise from the earth" (Dan 7:17).
I believe these four are the four "conspicuous horns" of:
Dan 8:8-9 Then the male goat magnified himself exceedingly. But as soon as he was mighty, the large horn was broken; and in its place there came up four conspicuous horns [four kingdoms of Daniel 7 below] toward the four winds of heaven. Out of one of them [the fourth one of Daniel 7] came forth a rather small horn which grew exceedingly great toward the south, toward the east, and toward the Beautiful Land.
All four beasts are indirectly seen in Revelation 13.
There is a division of world power into fourths just before the Antichrist begins his reign at the midpoint of Daniel's 70th Week. Each of these four beasts have dominion over the entire earth.
During the rise of Antichrist in the first half of Daniel's 70th Week you'll notice that authority is given over only 25% of the earth in the fourth seal (Rev 6:8). This occurs during his rise to power, prior to the midpoint of the 70th Week. We'll also see in Daniel 11 that Antichrist is busy making war during this time before his absolute global reign.
Below, we'll see that these four beasts arise together, Antichrist eventually assumes their dominion, and takes control of the entire earth at the midpoint of the week.
In other words, when you combine all four beasts of Daniel 7 you end up with the beast of Revelation 13... a seven-headed, ten-horned beast, with some characteristics of a lion, bear, and leopard.
What we end up with through Daniel 7, Daniel 11, and Revelation 13 is a snapshot of before, during, and after of the Antichrist's rise to power.
We'll get to all of that, but I want to point out a couple of interesting notes before diving in. These notes are not extremely significant to Daniel 7, but I want to make note of them here for future reference.
Dragon & Beast
First let's pause to look at the Dragon of Revelation 12:
Rev 12:3 And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great RED [G4450 - purrhos, fiery red, flame colored] dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns [G1238 - diadema], upon his heads.
These crowns are not the same as the rider of the white (Rev 6:2) horse (Antichrist) who had a victor's crown [G4735 - stephanos]. These are crowns [G1238 - diadema] of Satan's earthly dominion throughout history.
Notice Thayer's definition below:
[G1238 - diadema] [1] a diadem (1a) a blue band marked with white which Persian kings used to bind on the turban or tiara (1b) the kingly ornament for the head, the crown
One cannot help but notice definition (1a) and how it specifically mentions the blue and white band of Persian (Iranian) kings.
Rev 12:9 And the great dragon [Satan] was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceives the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
Notice that Satan is described as being "fiery red" which we have learned earlier is the color associated with Esau and Edom (Gen 25:25; Gen 25:30).
Secondly, we have the beast:
Rev 13:1-2 And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy. And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.
Notice above that the description of the beast is almost identical in appearance to that of Satan. The description is also a picture of Daniel's four beasts.
Notice, that this beast of Rev 13:1-2 is pictured as a singular beast with some characteristics of the previous three from Daniel. We'll get to that in more detail below but I believe that at this point in the Revelation, the Antichrist has taken power of the entire world and that is pictured here in Rev 13:1-2.
This will become more evident as we proceed through Daniel 7 below.
Scarlet
Rev 17:3 So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet colored [G2847 - kokkinos, crimson colored] beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.
The dragon is "fiery red" while the beast is "scarlet colored". Scarlet is frequently associated with harlotry.
You can read about the story of Tamar and Judah in Genesis 38. Tamar plays a harlot and out of revenge is impregnated with twins by Judah:
Gen 38:27-30 It came about at the time she was giving birth, that behold, there were twins in her womb. Moreover, it took place while she was giving birth, one put out a hand, and the midwife took and tied a scarlet thread on his hand, saying, "This one came out first."
But it came about as he drew back his hand, that behold, his brother came out. Then she said, "What a breach you have made for yourself!" So he was named Perez. Afterward his brother came out who had the scarlet thread on his hand; and he was named Zerah.
Perez (first born) became the ancestor of Jesus - not Zerah.
The scarlet cord is a symbol of the lost Kingship by Zerah and which was passed on to Perez.
In part, the scarlet beast is also attempting to assume world domination of which rightfully belongs to Jesus.
A second use of scarlet is found in Leviticus 16 and the scapegoat.
On the Jewish holiday Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) two goats were chosen. One was sacrificed to God and the other had the sins of the people ceremoniously placed upon itself by the High Priest and was sent out as the scapegoat into the wilderness.
A scarlet cord was traditionally tied to the Temple door and to a horn of the scapegoat. The cord was tied to the goat to forever associate this goat with scarlet. It was led out into the wilderness and thrown over a cliff.
Jewish tradition holds that once the goat was dead, the scarlet cord tied to the Temple door would miraculously turn white indicating God's pleasure with their sacrifice.
Isa 1:18 "Come now, and let us reason together," Says the LORD, "Though your sins are as scarlet, they will be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they will be like wool.
In Joshua 2 & 6 we find Rahab using a scarlet cord to acknowledge her sin as a sign of protection and salvation.
Finally, notice that the color of the flag of Turkey is scarlet. It also has the crescent moon and star on it which are said to be Islamic in nature, however those symbols predate Islam and are also seen in Scripture which we'll discuss later.
The beast is scarlet as a symbol of sin that is not redeemed.
Placement of Crowns
Note the difference between Satan and the beast and the placement of their diadems.
Satan has the diadems on his seven heads while the beast has the diadems on the 10 horns. We should also note that Satan delivers his power to the beast (Rev 13:4).
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Daniel 7
The tendency of theologians and those who study end-time events (eschatology) is to try and associate Daniel 7 with Daniel 2. For now, let's mostly ignore Daniel 2 and only focus on Daniel 7 without anything else to distract us from this specific chapter.
Dan 7:1
The opening passage tells us that this vision occurred in the time of the kingdom of Babylon, during the first year of the reign of Belshazzar. Belshazzar was also Babylon’s last king according to Daniel 5 (Dan 5:30-31).
Dan 7:2-7 Daniel said, "I was looking in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of heaven were stirring up [H1519 - guach, to rush, or break forth] the great sea. And four great beasts were coming up from the sea, different from one another.
Notice above that they are coming up together as the four winds were "stirring up the great sea".
The "four winds" is also another phrase found throughout Scripture to describe the entire known world (Jer 49:36; Dan 8:8; Dan 11:4; Mat 24:31; etc.). It is also associated with north, south, east, and west.
All of the beasts arise out of the sea. What is the sea?
Rev 17:15 And he said to me, "The waters which you saw where the harlot sits, are peoples and multitudes and nations and tongues.
These beasts will arise from humanity (Isa 17:12-13; compare Rev 13:1 with Rev 13:11; compare Rev 17:1 with Rev 17:15).
Many claim that Daniel has nothing to do with future events and they are wrong. They ignore many verses in Daniel similar to the one below stating that these events are concerning the future end-time events.
The text of Dan 7:17 has been ignored because its true interpretation clashes with the popular idea that the first beast is exclusively ancient Babylon.
We've already seen above that cannot be the case and are also told:
Dan 7:17 These great beasts, which are four, are four kings, which SHALL ARISE out of the earth.
These four beasts will all co-exist during Daniel's 70th Week which is yet to come upon us. We'll see below that Antichrist is eventually cast into the Lake of Fire, while the other three beasts have their dominion taken away, "but an extension of life was granted to them for an appointed period of time" (Dan 7:11-12).
Beasts & Details
Before trying to identify any kings, or nations, or any symbols, let's just take some time to see what Scripture says, and compare with Scripture. At this point, I don't want to draw too much from Daniel 2 while the parallels are undeniable.
What we do know is that these four beasts are four kings or kingsdoms:
Dan 7:17 'These great beasts, which are four in number, are four kings who will arise from the earth.
The angel also refers to them as kingdoms later in the explanation. Kings have kingdoms, and kingdoms have kings so these are interchangeable here in Daniel 7.
Dan 7:4
[1] The first was like a lion and had the wings of an eagle. I kept looking until its wings were plucked, and it was lifted up from the ground and made to stand on two feet like a man; a human mind also was given to it.
This lion, king of the jungle (Dan 2:37-38), had wings of an eagle. Those wings are eventually plucked and the beast is lifted from four, to two feet like a man. A human mind is also given to it.
Once this beast has it's dominion taken, the former "beast" is no longer terrifying but has lost it's power and is but a man now. We can definitely see the resemblance in the history of Nebuchadnezzar but let's leave that aside for now as Scripture uses similar descriptions for other kings and kingdoms as well.
Note that this beast is downgraded from his power as a lion to that of a mere man.
A quick study will reveal that lions are described in Scripture as strong, fearless, stealthy, frightening, destructive, and protective of their territory.
Eagles are noted for their swiftness of flight high in the air, strength, it's setting of nests in high place, and it's power of vision.
Both of these animals have been utilized by God to accomplish destruction, and judgment upon Israel, by means of their individual traits.
A king like a lion with wings of an eagle is a strong and swift king:
2Sa 1:23 "Saul and Jonathan, beloved and pleasant in their life, and in their death they were not parted; they were swifter than eagles, they were stronger than lions.
Scripture also tells that a lion's heart is valiant, and bold (2Sa 17:10; Pro 28:1).
In summary, we're looking for a strong king who was swift in action, and bold and one who will have those characteristics taken from him.
[2] And behold, another beast, a second one, resembling a bear. And it was raised up on one side, and three ribs were in its mouth between its teeth; and thus they said to it, 'Arise, devour much meat!'
This king resembles a "lop-sided" bear, with three ribs in its mouth between it's teeth. Notice "they said to it". The "they" is likely the four winds of Heaven which are stirring up humanity (see Rev 7:1).
Dan 2:39 informs us that the second kingdom was inferior to the first which could also be said of a lion versus a bear.
In Scripture, bears are native to mountainous regions, they're protective of their cubs, and they also are ferocious - especially when robbed of their cubs.
This bear is raised up on one side... the original language gives us the sense of another force raising it up, not the bear raising itself up.
Three ribs between it's teeth reminds us of:
Hos 13:7-8 So I will be like a lion to them; like a leopard I will lie in wait by the wayside. I will encounter them like a bear robbed of her cubs, and I will tear open their chests; there I will also devour them like a lioness, as a wild beast would tear them.
Scripture usually speaks of the bear ferociousness when it's cubs are threatened.
This king may be acting ferociously out of self-defense and protection of the people of his kingdom.
[3] After this I kept looking, and behold, another one, like a leopard, which had on its back four wings of a bird; the beast also had four heads, and dominion was given to it.
This king resembles a leopard with four bird wings on it's back. It also has four heads, and dominion was given to him.
I believe these four heads represent the four 25% sections of the earth as it is seen before the fourth beast below overtakes and gains control. Notice the third kingdom of Dan 2:39.
And then notice the comparison to Dan 2:40.
By now, you should be noticing a progression. The lion had two wings of an eagle, the bear had three ribs, this leopard has four heads and four wings.
A leopard is noted in Scripture as mountainous, spotted (or mixed colors), fierce, lies in wait and watches it's prey, and is very fast.
We also know that the final beast "was like a leopard" mainly, but had the feet of the bear, and the mouth of the lion (Rev 13:2). This should lead us to believe that the Antichrist's main characteristics will be those of the leopard.
If leopards "lie in wait" (Hos 13:7) that may suggest a certain amount of patience with this king. This king (beast) also has dominion over four others (heads).
This beast will likely be a patient coalition which is able to act very quickly.
[4] After this I kept looking in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, dreadful and terrifying and extremely strong; and it had large iron teeth. It devoured and crushed and trampled down the remainder with its feet; and it was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns.
Daniel emphasizes this beasts nature through the expressions of "dreadful", "terrifying", and "extremely strong".
The final beast has large iron teeth, claws of bronze (Dan 7:19), it crushes and tramples down "the remainder" of the three, and Daniel notes that it is different from all the beasts before it.
Bronze is also noted in Mic 4:13 and may refer to their strength, or hardness.
We also know that this beast "will devour the whole earth and tread it down and crush it" (Dan 7:23; Rev 13:7-8).
Notice that the "crushed" is the same word used concerning the iron legs of Dan 2:40.
For now, simply note that Islam pulverizes everything it seizes and demolishes it to the point that it is no longer recognizable as it once was. An example can be seen in today's headlines as ISIS demolishes any ancient artifacts that it deems offensive to allah. You either submit to Islam, or you die. The very name Islam actually means submission to the laws of allah (the muslim god), and the practices of Muhammad, their prophet.
We know that this beast doesn't completely decimate these three beasts, as they are still in existence after Antichrist is tossed into the Lake of Fire.
Zec 14:16 Then it will come about that any who are left of all the nations that went against Jerusalem will go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to celebrate the Feast of Booths.
This beast has ten horns (kings) which shall arise from this fourth kingdom. The kingdom from which Antichrist comes will have the power and authority of the ten kings. Three of the ten he will eventually subdue, but note that they are three from the ten of this last kingdom (Dan 7:24).
Dan 7:8 While I was contemplating the horns, behold, another horn, a little one, came up among them, and three of the first horns were pulled out by the roots before it; and behold, this horn possessed eyes like the eyes of a man and a mouth uttering great boasts.
Little Horn
Then from among the ten horns, Daniel saw another horn emerge.
This eleventh horn uprooted three horns.
The little horn (Dan 7:8) is the Antichrist. Notice in this verse this little horn possessed "eyes like the eyes of a man and mouth uttering great boasts". This little horn also makes war against the saints and prevails (Dan 7:21; Rev 13:7). It has been decreed that the saints have been given into Antichrist's hand for 3.5 years (second half of Daniel's 70th Week - Dan 7:25), but we know that will not happen to the full extent... close (6th-7th seal), but not the full 3.5 years:
Mat 24:22 Unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short.
Christians will be caught up before God's wrath commences with the blowing of the first of seven trumpet judgments, which doesn't occur until after the seventh seal. We are with Jesus between the sixth and seventh seal.
While this little horn (with the big mouth) is "uttering", the Ancient of Days (Jehovah) is preparing (Dan 7:9-10).
We can see in Dan 7:11-12 that the fourth beast and the little horn are defeated (by Christ at His return - Dan 7:13-14), and "given to the burning fire" (Lake of Fire - Rev 19:19-20).
Let's review what we know up to this point.
The first three beasts have their dominion stripped but are allowed to remain for an "appointed period of time" which tells us that the three are not only alive before Christ's return, but also allowed to remain after His return and after the Antichrist is destroyed.
While the kingdom of the Antichrist will be destroyed by the Messiah, the other kingdoms would not suffer such an immediate and absolute destruction. We know from Scripture that there will be those existing outside of the Millennial Kingdom. They will be a part of the earthly judgment found in the separation of the sheep and goats (Mat 25:31-36).
This fourth beast will reign over, and is a combination of, the first three beasts and acts as single unit (Rev 13:1-2). The first beast of Rev 13:1-10 is this fourth beast of Daniel 7.
This beast coming out of the sea represents the Antichrist and/or the Antichrist’s kingdom, and is described further in Revelation 17. There we find a picture of the same beast as the one in Rev 13:1-2, being ridden by a woman named Mystery Babylon. See my blogs: Woman and Beast.
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That's it for Daniel 7. I have notes which go into detail concerning comparisons with Daniel 2, but I think it best to leave them out for now.
Moving on to Daniel 8...
Some of these excerpts are from my personal notes copied from 30+ years of studying... some of these notes are direct copies of various sources - I do not claim to have authored every word of this... it's just a mass collection I've tucked away over the years for my own personal studies... I didn't consider a bibliography at the time I directly copied small excerpts from various authors. Also, any emphasis (underlines, bold text, all CAPS, etc.) noted above was only meant to capture my personal attention as I studied...
CLICK HERE! for an index to previous blogs.
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Four Beasts
In summary, there are four beasts coming up from the sea (humanity): [1] like a lion, [2] like a bear, [3] like a leopard, and finally [4] a ten-horned beast. These beasts are "four kings [and kingdoms, see below] who will [or shall] arise from the earth" (Dan 7:17).
I believe these four are the four "conspicuous horns" of:
Dan 8:8-9 Then the male goat magnified himself exceedingly. But as soon as he was mighty, the large horn was broken; and in its place there came up four conspicuous horns [four kingdoms of Daniel 7 below] toward the four winds of heaven. Out of one of them [the fourth one of Daniel 7] came forth a rather small horn which grew exceedingly great toward the south, toward the east, and toward the Beautiful Land.
All four beasts are indirectly seen in Revelation 13.
There is a division of world power into fourths just before the Antichrist begins his reign at the midpoint of Daniel's 70th Week. Each of these four beasts have dominion over the entire earth.
During the rise of Antichrist in the first half of Daniel's 70th Week you'll notice that authority is given over only 25% of the earth in the fourth seal (Rev 6:8). This occurs during his rise to power, prior to the midpoint of the 70th Week. We'll also see in Daniel 11 that Antichrist is busy making war during this time before his absolute global reign.
Below, we'll see that these four beasts arise together, Antichrist eventually assumes their dominion, and takes control of the entire earth at the midpoint of the week.
In other words, when you combine all four beasts of Daniel 7 you end up with the beast of Revelation 13... a seven-headed, ten-horned beast, with some characteristics of a lion, bear, and leopard.
What we end up with through Daniel 7, Daniel 11, and Revelation 13 is a snapshot of before, during, and after of the Antichrist's rise to power.
We'll get to all of that, but I want to point out a couple of interesting notes before diving in. These notes are not extremely significant to Daniel 7, but I want to make note of them here for future reference.
Dragon & Beast
First let's pause to look at the Dragon of Revelation 12:
Rev 12:3 And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great RED [G4450 - purrhos, fiery red, flame colored] dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns [G1238 - diadema], upon his heads.
These crowns are not the same as the rider of the white (Rev 6:2) horse (Antichrist) who had a victor's crown [G4735 - stephanos]. These are crowns [G1238 - diadema] of Satan's earthly dominion throughout history.
Notice Thayer's definition below:
[G1238 - diadema] [1] a diadem (1a) a blue band marked with white which Persian kings used to bind on the turban or tiara (1b) the kingly ornament for the head, the crown
One cannot help but notice definition (1a) and how it specifically mentions the blue and white band of Persian (Iranian) kings.
Rev 12:9 And the great dragon [Satan] was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceives the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
Notice that Satan is described as being "fiery red" which we have learned earlier is the color associated with Esau and Edom (Gen 25:25; Gen 25:30).
Secondly, we have the beast:
Rev 13:1-2 And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy. And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.
Notice above that the description of the beast is almost identical in appearance to that of Satan. The description is also a picture of Daniel's four beasts.
Notice, that this beast of Rev 13:1-2 is pictured as a singular beast with some characteristics of the previous three from Daniel. We'll get to that in more detail below but I believe that at this point in the Revelation, the Antichrist has taken power of the entire world and that is pictured here in Rev 13:1-2.
This will become more evident as we proceed through Daniel 7 below.
Scarlet
Rev 17:3 So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet colored [G2847 - kokkinos, crimson colored] beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.
The dragon is "fiery red" while the beast is "scarlet colored". Scarlet is frequently associated with harlotry.
You can read about the story of Tamar and Judah in Genesis 38. Tamar plays a harlot and out of revenge is impregnated with twins by Judah:
Gen 38:27-30 It came about at the time she was giving birth, that behold, there were twins in her womb. Moreover, it took place while she was giving birth, one put out a hand, and the midwife took and tied a scarlet thread on his hand, saying, "This one came out first."
But it came about as he drew back his hand, that behold, his brother came out. Then she said, "What a breach you have made for yourself!" So he was named Perez. Afterward his brother came out who had the scarlet thread on his hand; and he was named Zerah.
Perez (first born) became the ancestor of Jesus - not Zerah.
The scarlet cord is a symbol of the lost Kingship by Zerah and which was passed on to Perez.
In part, the scarlet beast is also attempting to assume world domination of which rightfully belongs to Jesus.
A second use of scarlet is found in Leviticus 16 and the scapegoat.
On the Jewish holiday Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) two goats were chosen. One was sacrificed to God and the other had the sins of the people ceremoniously placed upon itself by the High Priest and was sent out as the scapegoat into the wilderness.
A scarlet cord was traditionally tied to the Temple door and to a horn of the scapegoat. The cord was tied to the goat to forever associate this goat with scarlet. It was led out into the wilderness and thrown over a cliff.
Jewish tradition holds that once the goat was dead, the scarlet cord tied to the Temple door would miraculously turn white indicating God's pleasure with their sacrifice.
Isa 1:18 "Come now, and let us reason together," Says the LORD, "Though your sins are as scarlet, they will be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they will be like wool.
In Joshua 2 & 6 we find Rahab using a scarlet cord to acknowledge her sin as a sign of protection and salvation.
Finally, notice that the color of the flag of Turkey is scarlet. It also has the crescent moon and star on it which are said to be Islamic in nature, however those symbols predate Islam and are also seen in Scripture which we'll discuss later.
The beast is scarlet as a symbol of sin that is not redeemed.
Placement of Crowns
Note the difference between Satan and the beast and the placement of their diadems.
Satan has the diadems on his seven heads while the beast has the diadems on the 10 horns. We should also note that Satan delivers his power to the beast (Rev 13:4).
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Daniel 7
The tendency of theologians and those who study end-time events (eschatology) is to try and associate Daniel 7 with Daniel 2. For now, let's mostly ignore Daniel 2 and only focus on Daniel 7 without anything else to distract us from this specific chapter.
Dan 7:1
The opening passage tells us that this vision occurred in the time of the kingdom of Babylon, during the first year of the reign of Belshazzar. Belshazzar was also Babylon’s last king according to Daniel 5 (Dan 5:30-31).
Dan 7:2-7 Daniel said, "I was looking in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of heaven were stirring up [H1519 - guach, to rush, or break forth] the great sea. And four great beasts were coming up from the sea, different from one another.
Notice above that they are coming up together as the four winds were "stirring up the great sea".
The "four winds" is also another phrase found throughout Scripture to describe the entire known world (Jer 49:36; Dan 8:8; Dan 11:4; Mat 24:31; etc.). It is also associated with north, south, east, and west.
All of the beasts arise out of the sea. What is the sea?
Rev 17:15 And he said to me, "The waters which you saw where the harlot sits, are peoples and multitudes and nations and tongues.
These beasts will arise from humanity (Isa 17:12-13; compare Rev 13:1 with Rev 13:11; compare Rev 17:1 with Rev 17:15).
Many claim that Daniel has nothing to do with future events and they are wrong. They ignore many verses in Daniel similar to the one below stating that these events are concerning the future end-time events.
The text of Dan 7:17 has been ignored because its true interpretation clashes with the popular idea that the first beast is exclusively ancient Babylon.
We've already seen above that cannot be the case and are also told:
Dan 7:17 These great beasts, which are four, are four kings, which SHALL ARISE out of the earth.
These four beasts will all co-exist during Daniel's 70th Week which is yet to come upon us. We'll see below that Antichrist is eventually cast into the Lake of Fire, while the other three beasts have their dominion taken away, "but an extension of life was granted to them for an appointed period of time" (Dan 7:11-12).
Beasts & Details
Before trying to identify any kings, or nations, or any symbols, let's just take some time to see what Scripture says, and compare with Scripture. At this point, I don't want to draw too much from Daniel 2 while the parallels are undeniable.
What we do know is that these four beasts are four kings or kingsdoms:
Dan 7:17 'These great beasts, which are four in number, are four kings who will arise from the earth.
The angel also refers to them as kingdoms later in the explanation. Kings have kingdoms, and kingdoms have kings so these are interchangeable here in Daniel 7.
Dan 7:4
[1] The first was like a lion and had the wings of an eagle. I kept looking until its wings were plucked, and it was lifted up from the ground and made to stand on two feet like a man; a human mind also was given to it.
This lion, king of the jungle (Dan 2:37-38), had wings of an eagle. Those wings are eventually plucked and the beast is lifted from four, to two feet like a man. A human mind is also given to it.
Once this beast has it's dominion taken, the former "beast" is no longer terrifying but has lost it's power and is but a man now. We can definitely see the resemblance in the history of Nebuchadnezzar but let's leave that aside for now as Scripture uses similar descriptions for other kings and kingdoms as well.
Note that this beast is downgraded from his power as a lion to that of a mere man.
A quick study will reveal that lions are described in Scripture as strong, fearless, stealthy, frightening, destructive, and protective of their territory.
Eagles are noted for their swiftness of flight high in the air, strength, it's setting of nests in high place, and it's power of vision.
Both of these animals have been utilized by God to accomplish destruction, and judgment upon Israel, by means of their individual traits.
A king like a lion with wings of an eagle is a strong and swift king:
2Sa 1:23 "Saul and Jonathan, beloved and pleasant in their life, and in their death they were not parted; they were swifter than eagles, they were stronger than lions.
Scripture also tells that a lion's heart is valiant, and bold (2Sa 17:10; Pro 28:1).
In summary, we're looking for a strong king who was swift in action, and bold and one who will have those characteristics taken from him.
[2] And behold, another beast, a second one, resembling a bear. And it was raised up on one side, and three ribs were in its mouth between its teeth; and thus they said to it, 'Arise, devour much meat!'
This king resembles a "lop-sided" bear, with three ribs in its mouth between it's teeth. Notice "they said to it". The "they" is likely the four winds of Heaven which are stirring up humanity (see Rev 7:1).
Dan 2:39 informs us that the second kingdom was inferior to the first which could also be said of a lion versus a bear.
In Scripture, bears are native to mountainous regions, they're protective of their cubs, and they also are ferocious - especially when robbed of their cubs.
This bear is raised up on one side... the original language gives us the sense of another force raising it up, not the bear raising itself up.
Three ribs between it's teeth reminds us of:
Hos 13:7-8 So I will be like a lion to them; like a leopard I will lie in wait by the wayside. I will encounter them like a bear robbed of her cubs, and I will tear open their chests; there I will also devour them like a lioness, as a wild beast would tear them.
Scripture usually speaks of the bear ferociousness when it's cubs are threatened.
This king may be acting ferociously out of self-defense and protection of the people of his kingdom.
[3] After this I kept looking, and behold, another one, like a leopard, which had on its back four wings of a bird; the beast also had four heads, and dominion was given to it.
This king resembles a leopard with four bird wings on it's back. It also has four heads, and dominion was given to him.
I believe these four heads represent the four 25% sections of the earth as it is seen before the fourth beast below overtakes and gains control. Notice the third kingdom of Dan 2:39.
And then notice the comparison to Dan 2:40.
By now, you should be noticing a progression. The lion had two wings of an eagle, the bear had three ribs, this leopard has four heads and four wings.
A leopard is noted in Scripture as mountainous, spotted (or mixed colors), fierce, lies in wait and watches it's prey, and is very fast.
We also know that the final beast "was like a leopard" mainly, but had the feet of the bear, and the mouth of the lion (Rev 13:2). This should lead us to believe that the Antichrist's main characteristics will be those of the leopard.
If leopards "lie in wait" (Hos 13:7) that may suggest a certain amount of patience with this king. This king (beast) also has dominion over four others (heads).
This beast will likely be a patient coalition which is able to act very quickly.
[4] After this I kept looking in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, dreadful and terrifying and extremely strong; and it had large iron teeth. It devoured and crushed and trampled down the remainder with its feet; and it was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns.
Daniel emphasizes this beasts nature through the expressions of "dreadful", "terrifying", and "extremely strong".
Bronze is also noted in Mic 4:13 and may refer to their strength, or hardness.
We also know that this beast "will devour the whole earth and tread it down and crush it" (Dan 7:23; Rev 13:7-8).
Notice that the "crushed" is the same word used concerning the iron legs of Dan 2:40.
For now, simply note that Islam pulverizes everything it seizes and demolishes it to the point that it is no longer recognizable as it once was. An example can be seen in today's headlines as ISIS demolishes any ancient artifacts that it deems offensive to allah. You either submit to Islam, or you die. The very name Islam actually means submission to the laws of allah (the muslim god), and the practices of Muhammad, their prophet.
Zec 14:16 Then it will come about that any who are left of all the nations that went against Jerusalem will go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to celebrate the Feast of Booths.
This beast has ten horns (kings) which shall arise from this fourth kingdom. The kingdom from which Antichrist comes will have the power and authority of the ten kings. Three of the ten he will eventually subdue, but note that they are three from the ten of this last kingdom (Dan 7:24).
Dan 7:8 While I was contemplating the horns, behold, another horn, a little one, came up among them, and three of the first horns were pulled out by the roots before it; and behold, this horn possessed eyes like the eyes of a man and a mouth uttering great boasts.
Little Horn
Then from among the ten horns, Daniel saw another horn emerge.
This eleventh horn uprooted three horns.
The little horn (Dan 7:8) is the Antichrist. Notice in this verse this little horn possessed "eyes like the eyes of a man and mouth uttering great boasts". This little horn also makes war against the saints and prevails (Dan 7:21; Rev 13:7). It has been decreed that the saints have been given into Antichrist's hand for 3.5 years (second half of Daniel's 70th Week - Dan 7:25), but we know that will not happen to the full extent... close (6th-7th seal), but not the full 3.5 years:
Mat 24:22 Unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short.
Christians will be caught up before God's wrath commences with the blowing of the first of seven trumpet judgments, which doesn't occur until after the seventh seal. We are with Jesus between the sixth and seventh seal.
While this little horn (with the big mouth) is "uttering", the Ancient of Days (Jehovah) is preparing (Dan 7:9-10).
We can see in Dan 7:11-12 that the fourth beast and the little horn are defeated (by Christ at His return - Dan 7:13-14), and "given to the burning fire" (Lake of Fire - Rev 19:19-20).
Let's review what we know up to this point.
The first three beasts have their dominion stripped but are allowed to remain for an "appointed period of time" which tells us that the three are not only alive before Christ's return, but also allowed to remain after His return and after the Antichrist is destroyed.
While the kingdom of the Antichrist will be destroyed by the Messiah, the other kingdoms would not suffer such an immediate and absolute destruction. We know from Scripture that there will be those existing outside of the Millennial Kingdom. They will be a part of the earthly judgment found in the separation of the sheep and goats (Mat 25:31-36).
This fourth beast will reign over, and is a combination of, the first three beasts and acts as single unit (Rev 13:1-2). The first beast of Rev 13:1-10 is this fourth beast of Daniel 7.
This beast coming out of the sea represents the Antichrist and/or the Antichrist’s kingdom, and is described further in Revelation 17. There we find a picture of the same beast as the one in Rev 13:1-2, being ridden by a woman named Mystery Babylon. See my blogs: Woman and Beast.
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That's it for Daniel 7. I have notes which go into detail concerning comparisons with Daniel 2, but I think it best to leave them out for now.
Moving on to Daniel 8...
Some of these excerpts are from my personal notes copied from 30+ years of studying... some of these notes are direct copies of various sources - I do not claim to have authored every word of this... it's just a mass collection I've tucked away over the years for my own personal studies... I didn't consider a bibliography at the time I directly copied small excerpts from various authors. Also, any emphasis (underlines, bold text, all CAPS, etc.) noted above was only meant to capture my personal attention as I studied...
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