Dispensation Prophecy Bible Study #4
The Vision of the Four Great Beasts
Key Scriptures: Daniel 7:1-21 and Revelation 13:1-10
Dan 7:1-2 In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon Daniel had a dream and visions of his head upon his bed: then he wrote the dream, and told the sum of the matters. 2 Daniel spake and said, I saw in my vision by night, and, behold, the four winds of the heaven strove upon the great sea.

In our first few lessons, we are alternating from the visions of John to those of Daniel. Both are called by God "beloved," and both were given tremendous insight into future events. The vision that we are studying in this lesson came through a dream during the reign of Belshazzar of Babylon. Daniel was a highly-placed official in this kingdom and also the coming kingdom of the Medes and Persia. Notice both John and Daniel saw their visions as coming from "the sea." To the Israelites, who were land-loving people, the ocean represented the great unknown and thus "great mystery."

Dan 7:3 And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another.

Daniel saw four great beasts or animals come up from the sea that were all different from one another. We will first describe the animals of the vision, then discuss their immediate fulfillment, and then move on to their distant fulfillment. Remember the law of double reference in prophecy: every prophecy has an immediate fulfillment and a distant fulfillment!

Dan 7:4 The first was like a lion, and had eagle's wings: I beheld till the wings thereof were plucked, and it was lifted up from the earth, and made stand upon the feet as a man, and a man's heart was given to it.

The first animal was a lion with eagle's wings. The wings were plucked from the lion and made to stand upon the feet as a man and "a man's heart was given to it.

Dan 7:5 And behold another beast, a second, like to a bear, and it raised up itself on one side, and it had three ribs in the mouth of it between the teeth of it: and they said thus unto it, Arise, devour much flesh.

The second animal was a bear lying on one side that had three ribs in it's mouth and was commanded to "devour much flesh."

Dan 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.

The third animal was like a leopard and it had four wings and four heads and dominion was given to it.

Dan 7:7 After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns. 8 I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things.

The fourth animal was extremely different from the first three. No description of a particular animal was given, but a strong beast is described with great iron teeth that is able to destroy. It also had ten horns. Among the ten horns, another smaller horn arose and plucked up the first three horns by the roots. It is obvious from the symbols that the horns represent leaders and men.

Dan 7:9-10 I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire. 10 A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened.

The "Ancient of days" can only refer to Jesus Christ, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords! This description of Jesus Christ matches perfectly with the one given by John in Revelation 1:13-16. The key point to grasp here is that whatever is represented by these four beasts are upon the earth immediately before Jesus Christ brings judgment. The immediate fulfillment would be before Christ's first coming, and the distant fulfillment would be before Christ's second coming. Luckily, we do not have to guess as to what the animals represent because that much was revealed unto Daniel:

Dan 7:16-18 I came near unto one of them that stood by, and asked him the truth of all this. So he told me, and made me know the interpretation of the things. 17 These great beasts, which are four, are four kings, which shall arise out of the earth. 18 But the saints of the most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever.

An angel told Daniel that these four beasts represented kings or kingdoms. So these are nations or kingdoms or some sort of governmental body that would arise "out of the earth" before Jesus Christ came. Notice that after Jesus Christ came, the "saints of the most High" would take over and possess the kingdom forever! The angel then went on to give more detail about the fourth kingdom but before we get to those verses, let's go back to the four beasts and see how their prophecies were immediately fulfilled before the first time that Jesus came in Bethlehem.

The first beast was characterized by a lion with eagle's wings. This represented the kingdom of Babylon. We know this because Babylon is described as a lion in Jeremiah 4:7 and Isaiah 5:29. It is also said to fly "as an eagle" in Jeremiah 48:40 and Ezekiel 17:3,7. The lion is the "king of the beasts" and the eagle is the "king of the birds" and, in like manner, Babylon was the grandest kingdom of all. Their first king which conquered the known world, Nebuchanezzar, was also typified by the eagle's wings being plucked out from the lion and given the heart of a man. We know this because Daniel chapter 4 describes a day that Nebuchadnezzar decided that he was great and mighty and that it was his work that had formed the great kingdom of Babylon. God decided to strike him with insanity for seven years to teach him humility. During this time of insanity, Nebuchadnezzar became as a wild animal, eating grass and living in the fields. Notice the following scripture that described his predicament:

Dan 4:33 The same hour was the thing fulfilled upon Nebuchadnezzar: and he was driven from men, and did eat grass as oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, till his hairs were grown like eagles' feathers, and his nails like birds' claws.

The eagle's wings had represented the speed that the lion (Babylon) had conquered the world, but God took the symbolism and made it a reminder that he was only a man! After this experience, God restored Nebuchadnezzar to the throne of Babylon and Nebuchadnezzar was an humble and God-fearing man for the remainder of his life.

The bear's immediate fulfillment was found in the kingdom of the Medes and the Persians. This kingdom took over Babylon under the guidance of the great King Cyrus. The Medes and the Persians were known for their cruelty and were thus best represented by a bear. The three ribs are an allusion to the three chief conquests of the empire: the areas of Babylon, Lydia, and Egypt. The conquest of Babylon is described in Daniel chapter 5.

The four-headed leopard is represented by Alexander the Great of the Grecians. Between the Old and New Testaments, in 334 B.C., Alexander the Great set out to conquer the world. The leopard is used to demonstrate the swiftness and speed with which he conquered the nations. When Alexander the Great died in 323 B.C., his kingdom was divided among his four generals, thus fulfilling the four heads of the beasts. The names of the four generals were Ptolemy, Lysimachus, Cassander, and Seleucus. The wings denote the swiftness of their conquering! The analogy of the leopard is very fitting for Alexander the Great's conquest, because the spots represented the diversities of cultures that were tied together under his kingdom. Also, in nature, a leopard is one of the few creatures not afraid to attack a lion or a bear!

The fourth beast that was different from all of the others was the Roman Empire. Their well-trained armies conquered the known world just before the time of Christ. The Romans fearlessly crushed all opposition until the vast majority of the world was under their power. They conquered the Jewish people and Judea in 63 B.C. and Jesus Christ was born during the time of Roman rule. Pilate, who ordered His crucifixion, was a Roman governor of the area.

The ten horns of the beast represent the ten initial divisions of the Roman Empire. They were as follows:

1. The Roman senate.

2. The Greeks, in Ravenna.

3. The Lombards in Lombardy.

4. The Huns in Hungary.

5. The Alemans, in Germany.

6. The Franks in France.

7. The Burgundians in Burgundy.

8. The Saracens in Africa, and a part of Spain.

9. The Goths, in other parts of Spain.

10. The Saxons, in Britain.

The three horns that will be plucked up by the little horn find their immediate fulfillment in the establishment of the Pope as a political leader as well as a spiritual one in the eighth century. The first pope to be given real legal power of government was Stephen II who was given complete control of the area of Ravenna in A.D. 755 by the King of France, Pepin (the first horn). The second such delegation was the Pope Peter (not the apostle) in A.D. 774 who was given the area of the Lombards by Charlemagne (the second horn). Eventually the line of popes was given an area of Rome which is now known as the Vatican and is actually considered it's own country (the third horn). Today the Pope is considered by the Roman Catholic Church, at least in theory, to be the "ruler of the earth." When we study the Antichrist, we will find that the little horn that arises represents the Antichrist, and the Antichrist will use the Roman Catholic Church to fulfill his purpose! The little horn (the Antichrist) will uproot the previous three horns by claiming for himself the power that they desire.

So the kingdoms of Babylon, the Medes and Persians, the Grecians, and the Romans had to come to pass before Jesus Christ's first coming. And it was not until AFTER that the Roman empire was established, that Jesus Christ came and set up His kingdom. But Jesus' first kingdom was to be a spiritual one that would last forever! It would be a kingdom of saints who had been saved by the power of His blood. These prophecies have come true, for we are living proof that His spiritual kingdom has far outlived the Roman Empire!

Let's now move on to the distant fulfillment of these beasts. We know what they represented before Christ's first coming, but what nations do they represent that must be upon the earth before Jesus Christ's second coming!? (Remember the law of double fulfillment of prophecy!) If we are truly living in the end times, then we should be able to recognize some of them.

There is a nation today that uses the lion as it's national symbol: England! There is also a nation today that uses the eagle as it's national symbol: the United States of America! The distant fulfillment of this prophecy is found in these two nations, for the eagle wings (America) was plucked out of the lion (England) in 1776 during the Revolutionary War! The eagle's wings (America) developed a democratic system of government which allowed all men to be represented as equal, thus a "man's heart was given to it." The incredible point about this scripture is that God gave Daniel a true portrait of the American War for Independence thousands of years before it occurred! God knew that these two great countries would have to arise from the earth before Jesus Christ's second coming!

There is also a country that is represented by a bear and great violence: Russia. In terms of size, the bear is the largest of all of the creatures presented and so it is with the anti-type Russia. There are three countries that Russia took from China through nineteenth century treaties and they are all on one side of Russia: Manchuria, Mongolia, and Sinkiang. Those three countries have become the source of much fighting and dispute between China and Russia and are probably the fulfillment of the three ribs in the mouth of the bear. As to the fulfillment of the "devouring" and violent nature of the bear, one only has to look to Communist history to see that what God predicted thousands of years ago has come true!

Dan 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.

There is also a modern nation that has time to time used the leopard for their symbol: Germany. The verse says that "dominion was given to it!" Germany's hunger for power has caused the last three major world wars on earth: The Franco-German war of 1870, World War I, and World War II. The Germans have even named their famous armed tank the "leopard tank." The verse said that the leopard had "four heads." Germany has currently risen to power four separate times each known as "Reichs." The First Reich ended with the Franco-German War. The Second Reich ended with World War I. The Third Reich, the most famous one under Adolph Hitler, ended with their defeat at the end of World War II. Today, Germany is united again and the "Fourth Reich" is now growing rapidly. The fourth head of the leopard is already in place!

We really are not certain as to the distant fulfillment of this fourth beast. It could already exist on earth or could yet be formed in the future. It appears to be a coalition between ten kings or kingdoms that come together in a way different from the other countries mentioned above. Many possibilities have been suggested as to it's identity. Some of the more popular are mentioned here:

1. The European Union - Many of the nations of Europe have now come together in an economic union. They now have a common currency and a common passport. The arguments for them being the fulfillment of the fourth beast are that their common currency is similar to the plan of the Antichrist's "mark," their area is much of the same area once controlled by the Roman Empire, and the person chosen to be portrayed for the first coin of their currency, the "euro," was the Roman emperor Charlemagne! If they are to be the fourth beast, however, several nations will have to drop out because there are currently more than 10 nations in the union.

2. Another Soviet Union - With the fall of the Soviet Union, Russia lost power over many now independent states and regions. It is possible that there could be a future new union of these republics.

3. The Arab World - This is an increasing possibility of which to be aware. It is possible that many of the anti-Israel regimes of the world would combine forces to become an economic super-power.

Whether or not these possibilities will be the fulfillment of this fourth beast we do not know. But one point is clear: the Antichrist will arise out of this ten nation alliance. When he does, he will do so by overpowering three of the nations or leaders. This alliance will be upon the earth before Jesus Christ returns the second time! The chapter goes on to give more information about this fourth beast:

Dan 7:19 Then I would know the truth of the fourth beast, which was diverse from all the others, exceeding dreadful, whose teeth were of iron, and his nails of brass; which devoured, brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with his feet; 20 And of the ten horns that were in his head, and of the other which came up, and before whom three fell; even of that horn that had eyes, and a mouth that spake very great things, whose look was more stout than his fellows.

There is extra information that was given here: that the beast had "nails of brass." Brass is always a symbol of sin in scripture. That the nation would be characterized by sin fits the immediate fulfillment of the prophecy through the Roman Empire, and will no doubt fit the distant fulfillment of the empire from which the Antichrist arises! Daniel wanted to know more about the "little horn" and so God showed him more of the vision:

Dan 7:21 I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them;

Here is our time correlation with the visions of our last two lessons! This little horn, made war with the saints! It is impossible to be sure if the "saints" refers to natural Israel or the church, but in light of our last lesson, it probably refers to both. The key point here is that this is definitely a reference to the three and a half years of tribulation and so without a shadow of a doubt the "little horn" refers to the Antichrist. We will discuss this future world leader in detail in a future lesson, but remember that the terms "Antichrist," "little horn," "man of sin," and "son of perdition" all synonymously refer to this same person.

Now that we understand the prophecies of Daniel chapter 7, let's look at a similar vision that John had in Revelation chapter 13:

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. 2 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.

Like Daniel, John saw his vision rising from the sea; the parallel is unmistakable. But this time John saw only one beast with characteristics of all of the beasts that Daniel saw! It had seven heads and ten horns exactly like Daniel's fourth beast, but it also looked like the leopard, had the feet of the bear, and the mouth of the lion! And the dragon (from Revelation chapter 12) is what gave the beast it's power!

This vision is remarkable in many ways because it proves what we have already discovered: that Daniel chapter 7 and Revelation chapters 12 and 13 are describing similar events! Notice that the beast is spoken of as only one beast. It is as if all of the beasts of Daniel chapter 7 have merged together into one powerful creature! What this represents has not yet happened. It represents that the ten-nation union, Russia, Germany, and England will come together in a one-world government that will be orchestrated by the plan of Satan (the dragon)! Notice the beast's crowns, or rulers, will come from the ten-nation union. It will find it's stability from Russia, and the mouth, or language, common to this government will be the mouth of the lion. Is it coincidence that the common international language in the world today is English!?

Notice also that there is one animal missing: the eagle! Obviously, America will not be a part of this government! It is possible that America could be initially joined with them but eventually withdraw. The only other reference in Revelation about the eagle was in our last lesson on Revelation chapter 12:

Rev 12:14 And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.

The woman represented the nation of Israel and when the devil began to persecute her, she escaped because of the help of "two wings of a great eagle!" This cannot refer to Nebuchadnezzar and Babylon because it was written hundreds of years after that kingdom's fall. It is obvious that America has a role in end-time prophecy to protect Israel and deliver her from the hand of the Antichrist! It will primarily be the help of America that protects the Jewish nation in the final three and a half years of Daniel's seventieth week. With these verses in mind, it is no wonder that God has blessed our nation and allowed us to become a great military might: for we have an important end-time role to play! This also helps prove that the Antichrist will claim to have dominion over the entire world but in truth will not.

Rev 13:3 And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.

There has been much speculation over this verse and some have interpreted it to mean that the Antichrist will be assassinated and then brought back to life. While that is certainly a possibility, there is not much scripture to support it. One of the "heads" represents one of the kingdoms that has joined together and to be consistent with the other scriptures I think that this verse would have to refer to the fall and rise of a kingdom.

Looking through these nation's histories, the most likely candidate is Germany. After World War II it was proclaimed that a united Germany would never rise again. The Allies split the country into a west Germany and an east Germany with the Berlin wall separating the two. Yet, in 1989, the wall fell and Germany was once again united! The "ugly wound" that had separated Germany was healed and now they have industrially and politically come to life. God has allowed this to happen because they have scriptures to fulfill in the future one-world government.

Rev 13:4 And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?

When people pledge their lives in honor of the one world government, they will actually be worshipping Satan because he is the one who will give the government it's power! Remember that the Antichrist will rule for the first three and a half years of Daniel's seventieth week with a message of peace. Unfortunately, many people will be fooled into thinking that he is someone good when in actuality he is extremely evil.

Rev 13:5-6 And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months. 6 And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven.

Once again we have a reference to the Abomination of Desolation. The beast will blaspheme God and "his tabernacle!" Once the "beast" received his power from Satan, he continued for forty-two months. Forty-two months is exactly three and a half years! (3.5 years x 12 months = 42 months) Once again we see the many references to this time period in scripture. 1,260 days, 42 months, half of seven years, and "time, times, and half a time" all mean the same thing!

This verse reveals to us the reason why God chose to reveal the vision of these beasts to us in His Word. Daniel's seventy weeks were a view of end-time events through the viewpoint of the history of Israel. John's vision of the woman clothed with the sun, were a view of end-time events through the viewpoint of the spiritual battles. The visions of the beasts that represent kings and kingdoms are a view of end-time events through the viewpoint of political kingdoms. The one point that they have in common is that they all mention the Abomination of Desolation! Because of the reference to forty-two months, there can be no doubt that Revelation 13:5-18 are all events of the Great Tribulation, the last three and a half years of Daniel's seventieth week.

Rev 13:7-8 And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations. 8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

Again we have a reference to the Antichrist's persecution against the Apostolic church. The reason is that the vast majority of the world will worship the Antichrist and his message of peace, except for those who have their names written in the Lamb's book of life. Notice that the saints of God must still be on earth if the Antichrist is able to make war with them (Satan has by now lost his access to heaven). But that while the rest of the world will be deceived, the church of the living God will not be fooled! Also notice that there must be a difference between the Antichrist being given power over all nations and actually having perfect control of all nations. We have already seen how that Israel will rebel and with the help of America stand against the persecution. At least two nations will not give in to his demands although the political pressure to do so will be tremendous. Also in Daniel chapters 8 and 11 we find the Antichrist having to fight several wars. Why would he have to fight if there were not other areas of resistance to his plan?!

Rev 13:9-10 If any man have an ear, let him hear. 10 He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.

God gives some advice to the Apostolic church which is very similar to the advice given to Peter after he had chopped off Malchus' ear. "He that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword." In other words, it is not the will of God for Christians to respond to the fulfillment of these events by physical violence or by assassination attempts. The Christians must choose to live peacefully as Jesus did and trust completely in God.

That God is commanding the Christians not to physically fight, is another proof that the church will still be on the earth at this time. In Revelation chapter 19, when the church is coming back with Jesus Christ to fight for Israel after the rapture of the church, we are compared to a great army. The commandments of Revelation chapter 13 must refer to a different time frame before the Rapture of the church, because God has commanded us not to retaliate with violence! Of course, we can fight spiritually and it will be the church's finest hour:

Dan 11:32 And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he corrupt by flatteries: but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits.

Those who support the Abomination of Desolation and break the covenant with the Antichrist, will be treated kindly by the evil one. But the people who know better, and know that Jesus Christ is the one, true, living God will "be strong, and do exploits!" We will be able to literally quote "greater is he that is in me, than he that is in the world!" God will not fail His people, but will use the persecution to revive spiritually dead places across the globe! One of the main reasons of these lessons are to equip you so that you will not be deceived during that day and will stand strong for God in the end-times!