The interpretation of Daniel 7 can be a bit perplexing. I thought I would attempt a quick and hopefully simple breakdown of Daniels four beasts that rise from the sea. It will aid in the interpretation of the beast kingdom in Revelation 13 and 17 and perhaps offer some clarity concerning the rise of this kingdom in the latter days.
The writing below is based upon scripture as the Bible is interconnecting: scripture defines scripture. Daniels night vision interconnects with Nebuchadnezzar's dream in Daniel 2. Nebuchadnezzar was intensely occupied with the future of the mighty kingdom he had built. The Bible doesn't require outside sources to interpret scripture but, we often find that historical events fill in the gaps. When outside sources such as agenda riddled commentaries are added, scripture becomes twisted or confusing. For example: the beast like a leopard symbolizes a kingdom, it is not the secret leopard garments worn by Adam and Eve that Noah gave to Nimrod. And no, Daniel didn't see the Roman Catholic church rise from the sea as the lion or as the fourth beast. 🙄
God doesn't want us confused, he wants us to understand what the prophets are documenting. We may have to search scripture for answers but, the answers are there. Fortunately for us, there was an angel close by to give us an explanation, adding clarification to what Daniel was witnessing.
Daniel 7:23,24 The fourth beast will be a fourth kingdom on the earth, which will be different from all the other kingdoms and will devour the whole earth and tread it down and crush it. Out of this kingdom ten kings will arise; and another will arise after them and he will be different from the previous ones and will subdue three kings.
Daniel chapter 7 documents a dream and a night vision where Daniel sees four beasts rise up from the sea. three of the beast symbolized a kingdom specifically recognized by their king. Each influenced Babylon in some way. Three kingdoms had kings or regent kings that occupied Babylonian territory by living within the confines of the Babylonian city. These kings were mighty warriors conquering most of the middle east.
The four beast that rise from the sea are kingdoms. Within prophetic implications, many prophecies, visions or dreams were given to various prophets cloaked in metaphorical significance; cities are depicted as woman, kingdoms as mountains and kings are mighty trees. In Daniels night vision, the beasts represent variations of four distinct kingdoms.
The kingdoms have the qualities that are similar to, or comparable with, those of the animal presented. The beasts are shown to Daniel as metaphors for kingdoms; just as the mystery woman in Revelation 17 is a visual of a city described metaphorically as a woman.
In Daniel's vision the sea had been stirred up by the winds of heaven with such force that four great beast rise from its depths. Each kingdom came up or rose from middle eastern geographical areas but each kingdom was different from the one before. The sea in Daniels vision was most likely the Mediterranean, as this is not explained in further detail or given additional interpretation by an angel. The Mediterranean was often used by Yahweh to set boundary markers for Israel throughout the Bible.
Sometimes seas are just seas just as frogs are simply frogs unless given additional interpretation by an angel.
This is the same sea that John describes in Rev 13 where the beast kingdom rises from.
The first beast was as a lion with the wings of an eagle. The lion is a symbol of authority, bravery, pride and royalty, the eagle, majestic grace and power. The first kingdom that rose from the sea was Babylon. Historically, the lion and the eagle were the symbols of the Babylonian kingdom. Bel-Marduk the dragon-snake, was the ruling god of the kingdom. Ishtar, the Babylonian form of Inanna was the primary goddess. Her symbol was also the lion as she was a goddess of love and war. (her symbols were never the egg or the bunny)
The lion was humbled, made to stand on two legs removing the four legged prowess of the beast. and was given the heart of a man. This description intertwines a beast kingdom with a king, which was King Nebuchadnezzar II as he was the 'head of gold' who built a mighty kingdom, 2:37 and was humbled before God, Daniel 4. The heart of a man may represent the humbling of Nebuchadnezzar and his sanity returned or, the compassion given to the Jewish people when Cyrus the Great freed the captives held in Babylon for seventy years. The wings were plucked, most likely representing the night when power was removed by the armies of Cyrus the Great.
The second beast that rose from the sea was the bear. The bear represents brute strength and territorial supremacy. The second beast represented Medo-Persia, the ancient kingdom of Cyrus the Great. King Darius was the king appointed to rule over the ancient Babylon kingdom beginning on the night that Babylon fell. This ended the reign of the Chaldean dynasty and is documented in Daniel 5.
The third beast was like a leopard, denoting swiftness and stealth; a ruthless and precise hunter. This beast had four wings of a lesser bird; a predatory bird, not as strong or regal as the eagle. The four heads represented a division into four separate dynasties or kingdoms that proceeded the death of Alexander the Great, (Daniel 8:8). Antiochus Epiphanes, the little horn of the Old Testament (Daniel 8:9-12) rose from one of those heads, the Seleucid empire. The little horn of the New Testament will rise from the head with the ten horns.
It is important to note that the heads of the Leopard symbolize four distinct dynasties or empires that came out of the Leopard kingdom; just as the seven heads of the beast kingdom in Revelation 13:1,2 symbolize seven individual world empires or, kingdoms.
The territory covered by the Grecian empire was vast and its conquering strength was swiftly executed covering the four directions, north, east, west and south. The Grecian kingdom under Alexander the Great encased a large amount of territory taken over a short amount of time.
Alexander the Great also set up his kingdom in the ancient Babylonian territory. He made Babylon his home base. He had plans to rebuild the city, to restore her to her former glory and to add a fleet of military ships to prowl the Euphrates. But, his life was cut short and his dreams were never realized.
So far, we have three kings that ruled over the ancient Babylonian kingdom once ruled by the head of gold: Nebuchadnezzar II. Daniels fourth beast will provide the final king.
The fourth beast kingdom that rose from the sea was different from the rest as it was incredibly strong and vicious. The beast described by Daniel was dreadful and terrible, having great iron teeth which devoured all in it path. It broke and devoured everything on earth and what it didn't devour (the residue), it crushed with its feet.
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 beast that were before it; and it had ten horns. Daniel 7:7The beast had ten horns which are mentioned in Daniel 2:44, and decoded in Daniel 7:24 and Revelation 17:12 as ten kings. The decoding of the ten horns in Revelation place Daniel's fourth beast into the future time period of the tribulation. This is telling us that the kingdom of the ten horns will form just prior to the rise of the little horn. We are also told in Revelation 13:2 that the kingdom of the ten horns is made-up of the three previous kingdoms, the lion, bear and leopard. The kingdom of the ten horns is the kingdom that will continue a short space: Revelation 17:10b, which we will get to shortly. The little horn will then transform this kingdom into the antichrist kingdom when he rises among the ten horns.
Back to Daniel:
Daniel continued to watch as a little horn rose among the ten horns or ten kings. This little horn uprooted three, removing their power as it grew. 10+1-3=8 The little horn had the eyes of a man and a mouth speaking blasphemies against the God of heaven. This is the little horn (king) that rises to power in Revelation 13:4b-10 which begins the great tribulation.
One very important clue from this is that the ten kings and Daniels fourth beast kingdom are already established before the little horn rises. The little horn is an individual which means the other horns are human as well. They represent ten very powerful positions of authority who conspire for global control. They are human and not corporations or global enterprises but most likely the leaders behind these entities. These kings do not have a kingdom which means that the ten horns are not kingdoms but simply kings. Rev 17:12b
Daniels fourth beast represents a future kingdom that has not yet come.
So far, we have four middle eastern beast kingdoms: Babylon, Medo-Persia, Grecian, the beast with ten horns. There were two kingdoms that had fallen prior to the rise of the Babylonian kingdom: Egypt and Assyria. So now the list of kingdoms looks like this:
1) Egypt-fallen, 2) Assyria-fallen, 3) Babylon-fallen, 4) Medo-Persia-fallen, 5) Grecian-fallen, 6) Rome-the one that is, 7) beast with ten horns-the one that has not yet come.
And there are seven kings: five are fallen: (Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Medo-Persia, Grecian), And one is: (Rome), and the other is not yet come: (Daniels fourth beast with the ten horns): and when he comes, he must continue a short space. Revelation 17:10
This positioning of kingdoms is reflected in the number of heads upon the red dragon and his mini-me: the beast kingdom.
Heads upon the Red Dragon: 1) Egypt 2) Assyrian 3) Babylon - beast kingdom 4) Medo-Persia -beast kingdom 5) Grecian - beast kingdom 6) Rome 7) Daniels fourth beast with the ten horns - beast kingdom comprised of three previous middle eastern beast kingdoms: the lion, bear and leopard.
And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads. Revelation 12:3 .... And I stood on the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns.... Revelation 13:1a
In the numbering or order of the kingdoms listed above, Daniel's fourth kingdom of ten horns is represented as the seventh head of the red dragon, the seventh kingdom. (If it becomes the eighth then there must be a seventh 17:11a) It is the future kingdom of ten horns that the little horn or antichrist rises from. It had not yet come in John's timing of events but it is beginning to form in ours. This is the kingdom that rises after Rome.
Rise of the beast kingdom:
The little horn is the king who will rule the kingdom from the area where the three previous kings set up their kingdoms. In Daniels vision, all of the beast (kingdoms) had come up within the same vision, from the same area. This is the beast kingdom that John documents in Revelation 13:1,2 that also rises from the sea under the power of the red dragon. This is the same beast that carries the woman upon his heads in Revelation 17.
And I (John) stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast (kingdom) 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 (Grecian), and his feet were as the feet of a bear (Medo-Persian) and his mouth as the mouth of a lion (Babylon): and the dragon (Satan) gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.
The beast that John documents in Revelation 13 is comprised of three previous beast kingdoms that had ruled over the geographical location of the Mesopotamia and the middle east. It was like the leopard (Grecian) and had the feet of the bear (Medo-Persia) and the mouth of a lion, (Babylon). These kingdoms are the kingdoms that Daniel documented in Daniel 7.
Daniel 7:23,24 The fourth beast will be a fourth kingdom on the earth, which will be different from all the other kingdoms and will devour the whole earth and tread it down and crush it. Out of this kingdom ten kings will arise; and another will arise after them and he will be different from the previous ones and will subdue three kings.
Daniel lived in the timing of the first kingdom, Babylon. He was also present when Cyrus the Great merged Babylon with his ever growing Medo-Persian kingdom. He never saw the Grecian kingdom of Alexander the Great and of course he will not be present (on earth) for the rise of the fourth beast from the sea during the tribulation period.
The rise of the beast kingdom will be swift and deadly as the leopard (Grecian), using brute force of a bear (Medo-Persian) devouring all in it's death-vice jaws as a mighty lion (Babylon). It will rise from the geographical area that these previous wounded beast kingdoms ruled over, areas in the middle east. The kingdom will have ten horns (seats of power, kings) that rise up, exerting authority over the kingdoms and eventually, the entire globe. The ten kings rule the beast empire during the tribulation period.
Satan has given his power and throne to the beast kingdom: the horns have little crowns and it has accumulated the seven heads of the red dragon. The little horn spews blasphemy against the most High and the heads upon the beast kingdom are full of blasphemy. The heads aka: kingdoms will be full of blasphemous men and women who mock the God of heaven.
Before the little horn can rise among the ten horns and take power over the kingdom, everything he will need for world domination must be prepared. The ten horns or ten kings set the stage; readying the system of digital ID, tracking, buying and selling in order to contain and control every nation and individual on the planet. With the nations subdued under the ten kings or ten horns, the little horn begins to rise.
We are witnessing this now, the creation of digital control, the power of the nations handed over to the kings, the destruction of the ancient Roman kingdom. This is the beginning stage of the rise of the beast. The seventh head of the red dragon is forming right before our eyes, preparing all that the little horn will use to to rule the world. These things must be in place prior to the rise of the little horn. The only thing that is missing is the wounded head or, fourth beast. This will be revitalized just prior to the antichrists' rise to power. Revelation 17:8,11
Once the little horn rises, the seventh head or kingdom becomes the eighth, or the totality of the beast. (there is no eighth head)
Revelation 17:11 And the beast (kingdom) that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven (heads) and goeth into perdition.
The heads of the beast represent the heads of the red dragon, kingdoms of the world now worn as a display of possessions or prizes. These kingdoms belong to the red dragon, as the heads are mounted as trophies of conquered territory. This is similar to how a big game hunters display mounts or trophies upon a wall, or a 5 star General wears his medals upon his chest. We also saw the positioning of separate kingdoms by the number of heads on Daniel's third beast, the leopard, which symbolized the Grecian empire. Instead of the four heads like the leopard, the final beast empire will have the seven heads of the dragon, seven world kingdoms.
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.
Revelation 12:3 And there appeared another wonder in heaven, and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads, and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads.
The dragon will transfer its power and authority to his mini-me aka: the beast kingdom of Revelation 13. These territories are now given to the beast kingdom as seven heads.
and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat (throne) and great authority. Rev 13:2b
Prior to the early stages of the tribulation, kingdoms of the world will begin surrendering their authority to the ten horns. This may be some sort of global con such as a climate crises, (farting cows) that subdues the nations, convincing world leaders to surrender their sovereign authority to nefarious authorities. The ten kings will then hand their consolidated authority over to the little horn, when he rises among them. Rev 17:12,13
And the ten horns which you saw are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast. 13) These have one mind and shall give their power and strength to the beast.
One thing that really stood out to me, that had stumped me for a long time, were the diadems or crowns upon the heads of the Dragon: Rev 12:3 These crowns were shifted from the kingdoms, the heads of the Dragon to the ten horns belonging to the beast kingdom: Rev 13:1.
This is a transfer of power. Power will be removed from the seven world kingdoms and given to the ten horns. The crowning glory of Satan had been his influence over the nations or kingdoms as they belonged to him, but now, that power and authority is removed from the kingdoms (heads of the Dragon) and given to the ten horns upon the seventh head or, Daniels fourth beast kingdom. This shows power and authority is given to the ten horns to dominate the kingdoms of the earth. But, the woman of Rev 17 has the upper hand and the kings of the earth flock to her - causing conflict with the rule of the ten kings.
Once the beast kingdom begins to rise, the transfer of power will be quick and brutal; the authority of the kingdom will be lethal to those who do not comply.
Just as the little horn will be full of blasphemy against the most high, so will all who dwell under his kingdom and worship the image of the beast. It won't be hard to gather armies to hunt the tribulation saints once the woman (Judea / Israel) is hidden and protected in the wilderness during the Great tribulation period.
And the woman fled into the wilderness where she had a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days. Rev 12:6
The beast kingdoms rise from the sea, kings rise from the earth.
Daniel 7:17 These great beasts (kingdoms), which are four, are four kings, which shall arise out of the earth.
Four kingdoms: Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, beast with ten horns.
Four kings: Nebuchadnezzar II, Cyrus the Great, Alexander the Great, the little horn
There are seven heads on the red dragon and seven upon the beast kingdom suggesting this scarlet beast is made in the image of the red dragon - like a little mini-me.
Heads of the Beast: 1) Egypt, 2) Assyria, 3) Babylon, 4) Medo-Persian, 5) Grecian, 6) Rome, 7) beast with ten horns.
Prior to the rise of the Babylonian kingdom, there were two other kingdoms that had their power removed: Egypt and Assyria.
Egypt was the first head of the dragon. Assyria conquered Egypt, Babylon conquered Assyria, Medo-Persia conquered Babylon, Grecian conquered the Medo-Persian, and finally Rome conquered and absorbed the Grecian into its fold. When the seventh head with the ten horns rises, it will begin to absorb all of the previous kingdoms, conquering them swiftly by deception, subduing them, placing them under control. Rome is the current kingdom under conquest. Eventually, all nations will be controlled by the ten horns on Daniels fourth beast kingdom.
This is a new kingdom revived from a combination of three previous kingdoms; the lion, bear and leopard. This kingdom will be controlled by the ten kings and then handed over to the little horn once he rises among them.
Revelation 13:3 And I saw one of his heads (kingdoms) as it were (εσφαγμενην) wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed and all the world wondered after the beast.
This verse is revealing that one of the seven heads was wounded to death but the head wound was healed. A beast kingdom will be revived from near death and restored and the world will wonder in amazement over this feat. (See Revelation 17:8,11) This is speaking of a kingdom, not hills and not antichrist. Does antichrist have seven heads? No, of course not. Did a Roman hill suffer a deadly 'head wound' and the wound (hill) was healed? Not to my knowledge.
The Greek word for wounded to death, slain is: εσφαγμενην which translates from the Greek as: having been butchered. This word in the Greek implies that this was done in a 'ritual state' or ritual sense, as an act of God in a balance of power, or, to take power away.
Which was exactly what happened the night Babylon fell to the armies of Cyrus the Great. Babylon's power was removed immediately and given to another as prophesized by Isaiah. The Chaldean dynasty of the Babylon kingdom was gone, poof, in one night. The Mede-Persian kingdom of Cyrus the great was conquered by the Grecian kingdom of Alexander the great. The Grecian kingdom was later absorbed into the Roman kingdom. Three previous wounded beast kingdoms make up the wounded head.
Revelation 13:4 They worshiped the dragon because he gave his authority to the beast (kingdom); and they worshiped the beast, saying, who is like the beast and who is able to make war against him?
Verse 4 intertwines a king (4b) with the kingdom (4a), and kingdom 4a, with king 4b. Not one man left alive during the tribulation period will be able to gather an army to make war against the kingdom of the beast. The only one that can do that is Christ Jesus as the stone that will strike the feet of the statue, destroying it. Daniel 2:34,35
The seventh head is Daniels fourth beast with the ten horns that rises from the sea; a combination of three ancient beast kingdoms that had been slain or conquered. This head of the beast, comprised of three former beast kingdoms: the lion, the bear and the leopard, will be revived from its deadly head wound and rise from the abyss as an eighth kingdom: the antichrist kingdom.
Heads of the Beast: 1) Egypt, 2) Assyria, 3)
Babylon, 4) Medo-Persia, 5) Greece, 6) Rome, 7) beast kingdom with ten horns =
transformed into the eighth kingdom, the antichrist kingdom.
And the beast (kingdom) that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven (heads) and goes into perdition. 17:11
The heads of the beast are kingdoms; which is further confirmed in the following passage:
The angel is calling John to use deep thought, biblical discernment and wisdom when considering the meaning of the heads of the beast. Daniel would have known exactly what the mountains represented and with some consideration I believe John did as well. The angel is using an old testament symbolic reference which defines a mountain as a kingdom. This is found in several passages of scripture. Here are a few:
Daniel 2:35b: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain (kingdom) and filled the whole earth.
Isaiah 2:2 And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain (kingdom) of the Lord's house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it.
Jerimiah 51:25 Behold, I am against thee, O destroying mountain (kingdom), saith the LORD, which destroys all the earth: and I will stretch out mine hand upon thee, and roll thee down from the rocks, and will make thee a burnt mountain.
Let's look at Revelation 17:9 again: And here is the mind which has wisdom. The seven heads are seven (ὄρος) mountains (kingdoms), on which the woman sits.
The Greek word John used was ὄρος which translates to mountain. When used symbolically a mountain represents a kingdom. A hill has no prophetic significance or symbolic reference. A hill in the Greek is βουνός - bounos, and was not used. The heads upon the red dragon and the beast kingdom that carries the woman in Revelation 17 are kingdoms. The reference to kings in the following verse (17:10) reinforces this as kings rule kingdoms and kingdoms are ruled by kings.
17:10 And there are seven kings; five are fallen (1 Egypt - fallen, 2 Assyria - fallen, 3 Babylon - fallen beast, 4 Medo-Persia - fallen beast, 5 Grecian - fallen beast), and one is (6 Rome), and the other is not yet come (7th kingdom, beast with ten horns), and when he comes, he must continue a short space.
17:11 And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven (heads, kingdoms) and goeth into perdition.
Satan offered Jesus the kingdoms of the world if he would bow down to worship him. He could do this because the kingdoms belong to him. The kingdoms sat upon the red dragon as his trophies of conquest.
Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9 And he said to Him, “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.”
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