The first beast was like a lion with an eagle’s wings. The wings were plucked off. It was made to stand as a man and a man’s heart was given to it.
The animal descriptions given to this beast are of a lion and an eagle. Both of which are considered majestic and kingly animals.
This first kingdom represents Babylon and King Nebuchadnezzar himself. The eagle’s wings symbolize aggressiveness and swiftness in its victories, which aligns with the Babylonians’ fierceness in their conquests.
Both the lion and the eagle were used as a representation of King Nebuchadnezzar in Jeremiah 49:19-22
The lion was a symbolic characteristic of Babylon, especially during the time of King Nebuchadnezzar. The gates and entrances of the kingdom were adorned with a procession of lions.
The plucking of eagle wings can be symbolic of King Nebuchadnezzar’s temporary insanity brought on by God as a punishment for his pride. (Found in Daniel 4)
The Second Beast (Daniel 7:5,17)
The second beast was like a bear, with a large appetite. The beast was raised up on 1 side and had 3 ribs in its mouth.
This beast is not as majestic as the first. It is patterned after a bear which is slower, stronger, and more crushing than a lion. It also had an appetite for conquest.
The bear represents the Medo-Persian Empire, which succeeded the Babylonian Empire. Of the two nations, the Persians dominated the Medes, which is why the beast is said to be raised on 1 side.
The three ribs that are in the beast’s mouth may represent the empires that the first Persian king, Cyrus the Great, conquered.
Cyrus came into power around 558 BC. He, along with his son Cambyses II, conquered the Lydian Empire in 546 BC, the Babylonian Empire in 539 BC, and Egypt in 525 BC.
The Medo-Persian Empire, also known as the Achaemenid Empire, was a force to be reckoned with. They overwhelmed their opponents with their superior army size and crushing force. They were compared to the bear because of their cruelty and thirst for blood.
The Third Beast (Daniel 7:6,17)
The third beast was like a leopard with 4 wings and 4 heads. Dominion was given to it.
This beast is different in its attack method compared to the first two. The leopard is known for attacking unexpectedly and springs on its prey. It also has 4 wings and 4 heads, which indicates that it is very swift and clever/intelligent.
The leopard represents the Greek Empire, which succeeded the Medo-Persian Empire. The conqueror was Alexander the Great, a Macedonian ruler. When his father was assassinated, Alexander claimed the Macedonian throne at age 20 and killed his rivals before they could challenge him. Alexander the Great continued with his father’s vision of global domination and set off conquering different parts of the world.
Alexander the Great was swift in his conquest. Within 12 years, he was able to consolidate the Greeks, subdue Persian and Egypt, and move forward in conquering central Asia. He was clever enough to assimilate the cultures of all the empires he had conquered into one and created one Hellenistic empire.
When Alexander the Great died (at age 32), he had not named a successor, so leadership was divided among his 4 generals. This is another interpretation of the beast having 4 heads.
This led to struggles and divisions until the empire itself was divided into 4 smaller kingdoms - Greece and Macedon, Thrace and Asia Minor, Middle-East and Asia, & Egypt-Palestine.
The Fourth Beast (Daniel 7:7,8,11,12, 19-27)
The fourth beast was a dreadful and terrible one. It was very strong. This beast had iron teeth, broke things to pieces, and trampled the residue with its feet. It had 10 horns. Among those horns, a little one came up and replaced 3 of the horns that were on the beast. That little horn had the eyes of man and spoke pompous words.
This beast is different than the ones that came before it. There is no animal descriptor for it. It was so terrible that it could not be described. The descriptors used here are for strength, iron teeth and nails of bronze, devouring, breaking to pieces, and trampling.
This beast represents the Roman Empire, which may be the cruelest and strongest empire in history. This Empire was the most unified and lasted the longest compared to the others.
One of the main reasons for the Roman Empire’s conquering success was their army. Their army was the first paid full-time professional army in the world. They were successful because of their extensive training, ingenuity to invent new military tactics, and quick learning. They were known for being efficient and organized, with tactics employed by armies today.
Another reason for their success was their treatment of captured people. Rome offered them citizenship and essentially “Romanized” them, by adding bits and pieces of Roman culture to those areas (such as bathhouses, aqueducts, etc). They also used their technology to increase trade opportunities with the conquered lands to keep people happy.
We can see that this beast had 10 horns, which represents 10 kingdoms within the Roman Empire. This could mean countries, as we see today. From those 10, a little horn emerges which uproots 3 of the existing horns. This little horn represents the antichrist.
The little horn or the antichrist is seen to be very dominant, intelligent, and speaks boastfully. (Also found in Revelation 13:5,6)
He appears greater than those around him. He speaks blasphemous words against God. He persecutes God’s people and prevails against them. This shows that the antichrist will go against the Jewish people, God’s chosen. And during his reign, he will change the laws. That portion of his reign will be for a time, times, and half a time. This is interpreted to mean about 3.5 years.
Summary:
Daniel 7:17 - Those great beasts, which are four, are four kings which arise out of the earth.
These four beasts mentioned in Daniel 7 are representative of 4 great kingdoms in history. All of which have been fulfilled.
The first beast, which is the lion with eagle’s wings which were plucked off, represents the Babylonian Kingdom and King Nebuchadnezzar.
The second beast, which is the bear, represents the Medo-Persian Empire which conquered the Babylonians.
The third beast, which is the leopard with 4 wings and 4 heads, represents the Greek Empire, spearheaded by Alexander the Great, which conquered most of the known world.
The fourth beast, which is a terrible and dreadful creature with iron teeth and bronze nails, represents the Roman Empire which ruled with an iron fist and conquered a large portion of the world, and was the longest-lasting of the four empires.
The antichrist is represented by the little horn on top of the fourth beast, which lets us know that he will spring from what was the Roman Empire. It says that he will speak against God, persecute God’s people, and change the law. But his reign of terror will only be for 3.5 years.
Daniel 17:11,12 - “I watched then because of the sound of the pompous words which the horn was speaking; I watched till the beast was slain, and its body destroyed and given to the burning flame. As for the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away, yet their lives were prolonged for a season and a time.
The rest of the empires had their power stripped away, but some elements of their kingdoms still persist to this day. But the kingdom of the little horn, the antichrist, will be completely wiped away during Christ’s Second Coming. This is why it says that the beast is slain, its body destroyed and burned up.
Daniel 17:27 -
Then the kingdom and dominion,
And the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven,
Shall be given to the people, the saints of the Most High.
His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
And all dominions shall serve and obey Him.’
When we consider the lion with the eagle’s wings, this should come as no surprise that these beasts seem to be easily recognizable as England (British Empire) and the United States.
The Barbary Lion has been the national symbol of England since at least the Middle Ages.
The Bald Eagle has been the national symbol of the United States since 1782, six years after the Declaration of Independence was signed.What’s amazing about this vision is the order. The lion is mentioned first “and had eagle’s wings.” This confirms history as the United States was essentially “born” from the British Empire. One can almost see the wings sprouting from the lion.
This also confirms the belief among many prophecy students and teachers that the country mentioned often in the Tanakh (Old Testament) as Tarshish might very well be England. In Ezekiel’s famous Gog/Magog prophecy, we see this description of Tarshish and her young lions:
“… the merchants of Tarshish, with all the young lions thereof …” (Ezekiel 38:13).
The British Empire at its height had colonies throughout the known world, with the United States being one of the most recent until the War of Independence won the U.S. the right to her own sovereignty. This would seem to explain what Daniel saw next: “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.”
It could be suggested that what Daniel witnesses is that the “eagle’s wings” (the United States) were plucked off of the lion (England), and the lion (England) was made to “stand upon the feet as a man, and a man’s heart was given to it.”
That is, once the United States got her autonomy, the British Empire began to fade in power and influence. England no longer was a “beast,” or superpower, but was essentially “dethroned” to the level of other nations of the world, looking more like a “man” than a “beast” power.
Another explanation could be that the United States will fall in power – as we are witnessing today – and that the loss of the “eagle’s wings” is the loss of America’s superpower status. This may very well have a ripple effect upon England, and they too will lose their dominance, power, influence and status, yet both nations may still play an important role in the last day’s alignment of nations.
Regardless of how this plays out, it seems these two “beast” nations will be partakers in some kind of role in regard to the 10 kings that we will be looking at later.
The Second Beast
“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” (Daniel 7:5).
The Third Beast
“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” (Daniel 7:6).
I believe this is the most difficult beast to identify.
For our study, and in keeping with the current superpowers of today, I’m going to suggest China; and there are some very good reasons for this.
Most would think that if this beast was China, that she would be represented by the dragon. One would surely think that would be the case, but the dragon has already been assigned to Satan (Revelation 12:1-17 & Revelation 20:1-3). The leopard, though, seems quite a fitting beast for this nation.
The leopard is a cunning, swift, and stealth hunter. When thinking of China as a political, economic, technological, and military power, I see the characteristics of a leopard quite clearly. China has been very cunning on the geopolitical stage.
At home, as is so well documented, no nation has ever surveilled their own people as the Chinese Communists have — stealthily lurking at a distance, as a leopard hunts its prey.
Her stealth and rapid rise in economic power have been, as one might say, “Accomplished under the radar, yet in plain sight.” The United States, in particular, has played an active role in China’s rise in economic wealth and power as they import China’s goods at an astronomical rate.
Militarily, China has swiftly used those economic resources to fund her capabilities to unheard-of heights, as she has become a preeminent military threat to the world and a major supplier of arms.
The rise in technological advances – whether from within or without through stolen intellectual properties and trade secrets – is mind-blowing, probably surpassing even the United States.
When it comes to Daniel’s description of the leopard having “four wings of a fowl,” one can’t help but notice the rate of speed her ascension to dominance has had on the world stage in such a remarkably short time.
These four “wings” could also indicate China’s expansion in all four directions of her sphere of influence. In the north, China has developed military and cooperative ties with Russia. To the south, China is courting and arming many other Asian nations. To the west, China is in the process of a huge trade-route undertaking known as the New Silk Road. And, of course, to the east across the Pacific Ocean, China is considered the premier threat to the United States, and yet the US is the largest consumer of her goods.
In regard to the New Silk Road: China’s “Belt and Road Initiative” (BRI) is a planned multitrillion-dollar infrastructure program that is intended to link China with more than 100 countries through railroad, shipping and energy projects.
The BRI will recreate the Silk Road, an old network of trading routes between the East and the West, by investing large sums of money into other countries to build such infrastructure projects.
Here’s the Fox News article, cited above, with a map showing the scope of this project and what these “wings” could very well represent:
As far as the “four heads,” there may be an alliance coming in the near future. China has been courting other regional nations with arms sales and/or trade agreements, including India, Myanmar, Pakistan, Japan, and South Korea, among many others. There’s no other country in the world that has more influence on the hermit kingdom of North Korea than China does. Also, interesting to note, is her ambitions on Taiwan and Hong Kong.
Actually, though, the “four heads” could very well be in China herself – as one of the 10 kings – being split up into four smaller kingdoms within her borders, all under the leadership of the one king. The population of China is unsurpassed and could very well need four separate “governors” in four separate regions within the nation of China to help delegate the orders from the supreme leader – or king – of China’s regional global kingdom.
Whatever the case may be, these “four heads” should be defined very soon, if not, then after the rapture of the church.
Most fascinating to me is China’s push for a global government and global tracking of all citizens of the world. Something I would never have dreamed would happen, as I always thought they may be the last to lean into globalism, yet here we are. Truly exciting in light of end-time prophecy!
With this in mind, it makes me wonder of the possibility that the globalists might have worked with China in developing the COVID-19 virus and to release it in late 2019 to achieve two goals: One, to prepare the masses through vaccines to accept a soon-coming tracking and surveillance system; and, two, to bring down the nationalistic Trump administration through a seemingly fraudulent election to align the United States with the globalist goals of Agenda 21 and Agenda 2030.
When it comes to Communist China and her longstanding allegiance to the Communist system, I’m reminded of the following passage in Scripture:
“Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots?” (Jeremiah 13:23).
Another fascinating passage is when God told Ephraim (the northern 10- tribe kingdom of Israel) that…
“Therefore I will be unto them as a lion: as a leopard by the way will I observe them: I will meet them as a bear that is bereaved of her whelps, and will rend the caul of their heart, and there will I devour them like a lion: the wild beast shall tear them” (Hosea 13:7-8).
The first three symbolic beasts mentioned in Daniel’s vision are alluded to in this passage of how God would personally punish Israel for her rebellion. I’m not sure there’s anything more to this here than imagery, but we do see these three symbolic beasts again in Revelation, which we will soon note.
The Fourth Beast
“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” (Daniel 7:7).
For me, the most important word in this description of the fourth beast is the word “diverse.” Let’s take a look at that word in more detail.
The original word for “diverse” is 8133 “shena” and means alter, change, be diverse (Aramaic) corresponding to shana— alter, change, (be) diverse.
This is really important. Most prophecy students and teachers believe the Antichrist will rise to power in Europe alongside the Roman Catholic church. But something will happen in the middle of the Tribulation that will render this – as it’s commonly known – “revived Roman Empire” obsolete. (Which really won’t be “revived” as much as it has long been leading in world affairs, but in a different form as a theocratic empire under the Roman Catholic church). When that happens, the Antichrist will have no more reason to be loyal to the kingdom that helped propel his rise to prominence, and this will lead, in my opinion, to him relocating – or to “change” – his base of operations to the land of Shinar where it all began in the ancient city of Babel/Babylon.
For the educated prophecy student and teacher, this fourth beast is the most known of the four. King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream of the statue shows this worldwide kingdom, represented by the 10 toes mixed with iron and clay. Notice that the Fourth Beast of Daniel has “iron teeth” and the “ten horns” corresponds to the 10 toes of Nebuchadnezzar’s statue:
“And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron: forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things: and as iron that breaketh all these, shall it break in pieces and bruise.
And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potters’ clay, and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron, forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay.
And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken.
And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay” (Daniel 2:40-43). (emphasis mine)
As potter’s clay and iron don’t mix, so too will the 10 global regions of the world have difficulty with unity in the first half of the Tribulation.
At the midway point of the Tribulation, the False Prophet will “require, cause, make, force” everyone to take The Mark of The Beast and worship the Antichrist.
But for this system to cover every inch of the entire world – after such devastating repercussions of the wrath of God, wars, disease, destruction and/or degradation of commerce, government, military, and technology, depopulation, etc. – will be virtually impossible, though the attempt will be ferocious and intense. (Remember, there will be those that survive the Tribulation who did not take The Mark of The Beast and were, obviously, not beheaded by Antichrist). This, I believe, is one of the many reasons that “they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay.”
Antichrist, to be sure, will have much more power, influence, and reach than any other world leader has ever had.
Even though Antichrist begins his rise to prominence with a false “peace,” he will progress with fury to achieve Satan’s goal of a united world empire under Antichrist at the midway point of the Tribulation.
Antichrist’s Worldwide Empire
“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” (Revelation 13:1-2). (emphasis mine)
Notice that this “beast” is a composite of the first three beast nations we just looked at in Daniel. This indicates that England/United States, Russia, and China will play a major role in the creation of the fourth beast’s worldwide empire.
They could also be the three “horns plucked up by the roots” by the “little horn” (Antichrist) inDaniel 7:8, below.The Horns and the ‘Little Horn’ of the Fourth Beast
“I considered the [ten] 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” (Daniel 7:8).
These 10 horns, or 10 kings, are 10 regional kingdoms that the globalist elites have been pushing for. That is, the world will be split into 10 regions ruled by 10 kings and will hand their kingdoms over to Antichrist after they destroy the “Whore of Babylon” – the ecumenical one-world religion – during the midway point of the Tribulation.
“And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast. These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast” (Revelation 17:12-13).
“And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire. For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled” (Revelation 17:16-17).
The “little horn” is, of course, the person of Antichrist. He will subdue the three world superpowers during his ascension to power, most probably by peace and agreement, and with this united front will acquire full allegiance of the entire world after the 10 kings unite to destroy the last remaining power and influence — the Roman Catholic church.
Once the 10 kings hand over their kingdoms to Antichrist, the final worldwide kingdom commences for the last three and one-half years of the Tribulation until Christ comes back to destroy His enemies and sets up His Millennial Kingdom.
This is how I currently interpret the seventh chapter of Daniel, and I offer this view to the reader for consideration and to provoke thought and dialog within the prophetic community.
As with all future prophecy, I’m honest enough to admit that this is nothing more and nothing less than another prophetic scenario to add to the plethora of views and interpretations within prophecy circles.
Let’s conclude with “the rest of the story.”
The Great White Throne Judgment
Daniel’s vision then jumps a thousand plus years forward, after Christ’s Millennial Kingdom, to the Great White Throne judgment:
“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. 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” (Daniel 7:9-10).
We read of this event in Revelation:
“And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire” (Revelation 20:11-15).
Daniel’s vision returns back in time to when Antichrist is destroyed by Christ at His Second Coming:
Antichrist Thrown into The Lake of Fire
“I beheld then because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake: I beheld even till the beast was slain, and his body destroyed, and given to the burning flame” (Daniel 7:11).
Again, Revelation covers this event:
“And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone” (Revelation 19:20).
After this…
The Millennial Kingdom of Christ
“As concerning the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away: yet their lives were prolonged for a season and time.
I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him.
And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed” (Daniel 7:12-14).
The three beast superpower kingdoms, after giving their dominions to Antichrist along with the rest of Antichrist’s worldwide kingdom, will cede their authority to Christ as those that are left alive and have given their lives to Jesus are allowed to enter the Lord’s Millennial Kingdom. Of course, the Lord’s final Kingdom is the Eternal Kingdom.
Finally, Daniel is given the…
Explanation of the Fourth Beast, the Antichrist, and the Lord’s Kingdom
“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;
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.
I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them; Until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom.
Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.
And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.
And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.
But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end.
And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him” (Daniel 7:19-27).
We, who call upon the Name of the Lord, will be with Him ruling and reigning in His Millennial and Eternal Kingdoms, and it shall be glorious!
1. Before we proceed with this study, there is the need for us to understand the Bible prophecy symbols that are used in this study to allow for a complete understanding of this important apocalyptic prophecy. In Bible prophecy, we allow the Bible to interpret itself (2 Peter 1:19-20). Three important symbols in this study and their meanings from Scripture are as follows:
a. Seas represent a multitude of people or a densely populated area (Revelation 17:15).
b. Wind represents strife or war (Jeremiah 49:36-37 ).
c. Beasts represent kingdoms, kings or nations (Daniel 7:17, 23).
2. This prophecy in Daniel 7 was given by God to Daniel in the first year of Belshazzar, king of Babylon (Daniel 7:1). Even though God had revealed the future of our world to Daniel through King Nebuchadnezzar's dream in Daniel 2, there were other details that the Lord wanted to add for the benefit of those of us who will be living during the time of the end.
3. In revealing Bible prophecy to His servants, God uses the basic principle of teaching. That is, the principle of moving from the known to the unknown. This is also referred to as the repeat and enlarge principle. We will discover in this study and other subsequent ones, that God will usually begin a new revelation by repeating what He has already revealed, and then enlarge upon that with new or further details.
4. From Daniel 7:2-3, the Bible teaches that Daniel saw in his vision by night, and behold, the four winds of the heaven strove upon the great sea. And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from the other. We have already studied that winds denote war or strife, seas represent a multitude of people and beasts denote kingdoms. From Daniel 7:2-3, the Lord revealed unto Daniel that through the crucible of war, in the densely populated areas of the ancient world, four world empires or kingdoms will arise.
5. This study on Daniel 7:1-7 is basically parallel to our previous study on the Ancient King's Dream as found in Daniel 2. Just as the various metallic parts in Daniel 2 represented the four world empires of the ancient world, so does the various beasts in Daniel 7 represent the same ancient world empires. For instance, from Daniel 7:17, the prophet Daniel records that; "These great beasts, which are four, are four kings, which shall arise out of the earth." In the verse 23 of this same chapter, the prophet Daniel once again records this; "The fourth beast, shall be the fourth kingdom upon the earth..." Thus beloved, the entire prophecy we are considering in this study is not to be taken literal, but rather, symbolic. To understand this prophecy, one will have to decode the various symbols by allowing the Bible to interpret itself as we are doing now.
6. Friends, according to Daniel's vision, the first beast that he saw coming up from the sea was like a lion with eagle's wings (Daniel 7:4). This first beast represents Babylon, the first kingdom of the ancient world. The lion with eagle's wings was actually a fitting symbol for Babylon. Babylon was as strong as a lion; the king of the beasts. The wings on this lion denote the speed with which Babylon conquered the ancient nations (see Habakkuk 1:6-8). Babylon ruled the ancient world from 605 B. C. to 539 B. C.
7. After the lion with eagle's wings, the prophet Daniel saw in his vision, a second beast coming up from the sea. This time, the prophet saw a bear which had raised up itself on one side, and had three ribs in the mouth of it between the teeth of it (Daniel 7:5). The bear represents the combined kingdoms of the Medes and Persians. Medo-Persia became the second world empire of the ancient world, after defeating Babylon on October 13, 539 B. C. Daniel saw in his vision that the bear had raised up itself on one side. From History, we learn that even though the second empire of the ancient world was a joint empire between the Medes and the Persians, the Persians were stronger than the Medes. In fact, this empire was generally known as the Persian Empire. Before Medo-Persia could become a world superpower, they had to conquer three important territories or nations. This is symbolized by the three ribs in the mouth of this bear. History records that the combined power of the Medes and Persians successfully defeated the nations of Babylon, Lydia and Egypt in order to assume control of the ancient world. The Medes and Persians ruled from 539 B. C. to 331 B. C.
8. After the bear which had raised up itself on one side, Daniel saw in his vision, a third beast coming up from the sea. This beast was like a leopard with four heads, and four wings of a fowl at the back of it ( Daniel 7:6). This beast represents the Grecian empire, the third superpower of the ancient world. Led by Alexander the Great, the Grecian army defeated Persia's Darius III at the battle of Arbela in 331 B. C. Just as the eagle's wings on the back of the lion denoted speed of conquest at war, the four wings of a fowl at the back of this leopard represent an unparalleled speed of conquest at war. If Babylon was swift in conquering nations, the Grecian empire was unsurpassed under the leadership of Alexander the great. By the time Alexander was 33 years, he had the world at his feet. Even though he conquered the world within a very short period, he could not conquer himself. He died of a fever which was brought on by excessive intake of alcohol. When he was about to die, he was asked the straightforward question: To whom will you leave the kingdom? And his reply was; "the strongest". Within a period of 20 years the Grecian empire was plunged into civil war as the generals of Alexander the great tested their strength against each other. It was not until the Battle of Ipsus in 301 B. C., that four of Alexander's generals divided the Grecian empire among themselves. These four generals were Cassander, Lysimachus, Ptolemy and Seleucus. Cassander took Greece and Macedonia; Lysimachus took Thrace, Bithynia, Pergamum and much of Asia Minor; Ptolemy took Egypt, Lybia, and Palestine; while Seleucus took over Asia Minor, Syria, and Persia which included Babylon. Thus friends, the four heads of the leopard represent the four generals who took over the Grecian empire after the demise of Alexander the great. Greece ruled the ancient world from 331 B. C. to 168 B. C.
9. After the leopard with four wings of a fowl, Daniel saw in his vision, a fourth beast coming up from the sea. This beast was quite different from the other beasts. Daniel describes this fourth beast with the following graphic words: "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" (Daniel 7:7).
Beloved, this fourth beast represents the Roman Empire, which became the fourth world empire of the ancient world. At the battle of Pydna on June 22, 168 B. C., the Roman Empire defeated the divided Grecian empire to become the fourth superpower of the ancient world. The Roman Empire was dreadful and terrible. Her Caesars were worshipped as gods. Offenders of Roman law were given some of the harshest punishments our world has ever known. The Roman Empire utilized crucifixion often as a means of execution, and through this painful death executed our Lord, Christ Jesus. Under the harsh rule of Pagan Rome, several hundreds of people (especially Christians) were fed to ravenous beasts, crucified or beheaded. The Roman Empire ruled the longest from 168 B. C. to 476 A. D.
10. But then, we are told in Daniel 7:7 that this dragon like beast also had ten horns. Daniel records this explanation concerning the ten horns: "And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise..." (Daniel 7:24 ). Notice that these ten kings who represent the ten horns arise out of the fourth kingdom (which is the Roman Empire).
Beloved, the prophecy in Daniel 7 does not say anything about a fifth beast coming up from the sea. In other words, the prophecy did not predict anything such as a fifth world empire. Rather, as Daniel was clearly told in the verse 24 of Daniel 7, the Roman Empire was to be divided into ten distinct segments, with ten kings reigning independently apart from each other. And friends, this is exactly what came to pass. History records that due to a high level of greed and moral decay, the Roman empire became easy prey for Barbarian tribes to the point that by 476 A. D., the empire had disintegrated into ten distinct segments. These ten nations comprising Alemanni (Germany), Franks (French), Anglo Saxons (English), Visigoths (Spanish), Burgundians (Swiss), Lombards (Italians), Suevi (Portuguese); and Heruli, Vandals and Ostrogoths (Now extinct) became the progenitors of modern day Europe. As the prophecy predicted, the fourth world empire was actually divided into various independent nations. And these nations have remained separate until now, despite the attempt of various political leaders to weld the empire together.
11. Beloved, all that we have studied so far, is parallel to the dream God gave king Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel 2 . Even though the dream in Daniel 2 expanded to the end of this world, God had more details to give His children concerning end time events. And so in Daniel 7, we discover fresh details which cannot be found in Daniel 2. As I mentioned earlier, God basically teaches His children from the known to the unknown, using what is popularly known as the repeat and enlarge principle.
Friends, the new detail that God adds in the vision of Daniel 7, concerns the characteristics of the antichrist power we have studied about in in 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12. This time around, instead of the names; man of sin or son of perdition, God uses the term; the little horn to depict the same antichrist power, that was to bear rule over the whole world. We read from Daniel 7 verses 8 and 25 the following:"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… 25 And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time."Exhortation: "Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure" (Isaiah 46:9-10 ).
The four beasts of Daniel 7 represent four kingdoms. The terrifying fourth beast with ten horns and iron teeth is the Greek kingdom of Syria. This beast grows a talking horn, which represents Antiochus IV, whose persecutions (167–164 B.C.E.), the biblical author believes, can only be stopped by divine intercession.
Daniel’s vision of the four beasts emerging from the sea (from L to R): 1. Lion with eagle’s wings, 2. Three-fanged bear, 3. Four-winged leopard, 4. A ten-horned beast with iron teeth “different than any other.” Hands from heaven grasp the wings of the first beast representing the divine judgment. Artist: Luigi Sabatelli, 1809. Rijksmuseum.nl
The story of Chanukah is generally viewed as post-biblical, attested in sources such as 1–2 Maccabees, Josephus, and rabbinic literature. But the earliest references to Antiochus and his decrees, the basis of Chanukah, are in fact found in what is probably the latest biblical book, Daniel. This book offers its own theological perspective on the events that transpired and the hope for their resolution.
The book of Daniel is comprised of two sections. The first (chapters 1–6) presents stories about the life of the protagonist in the courts of the foreign empires. The second (chapters 7–12) contains four apocalyptic visions received by Daniel, which describe in rather cryptic language and vivid imagery the past, present and future history of these foreign empires. The visions in these chapters are apocalyptic, reflecting on the relationship between these earthly kingdoms and their heavenly counterparts, and Israel’s place within these larger schemes.
The Vision of Chapter 7
Scholars agree that the numerous historical allusions in the apocalyptic visions refer to none other than Antiochus IV Epiphanes, the arch-villain of the Chanukah story.[1]
Antiochus IV Epiphanes first appears in the context of a complex Aramaic vision in Daniel 7.[2] This chapter presents a double apocalyptic vision,[3] and alternates between a prose description of four beasts, representing four kingdoms, and a poetic description of the heavenly court in which these beasts are judged and convicted. The differences between these two have led to the suggestion that they are in fact the work of two different authors that have been combined here.[4] However, it seems more likely that instead of two authors, we have in this case a subtle literary technique by which the author of Daniel 7 distinguished between the two scenes within the mythic realm.
The Four Beasts
The vision begins with the appearance of the four beasts:
Dan 7:2 Daniel related the following: “In my vision at night, I saw the four winds of heaven stirring up the great sea. 7:3 Four mighty beasts different from each other emerged from the sea.
The first three beasts are mixed creatures, combinations of different animals that clearly distinguishes them from realistic, earthly ones:
7:4 The first was like a lion but had eagles’ wings. As I looked on, its wings were plucked off, and it was lifted off the ground and set on its feet like a man and given the mind of a man.
7:5 Then I saw a second, different beast, which was like a bear but raised on one side, and with three fangs in its mouth among its teeth; it was told, ‘Arise, eat much meat!’
7:6 After that, as I looked on, there was another one, like a leopard, and it had on its back four wings like those of a bird; the beast had four heads, and dominion was given to it.
Even within this mythic context, the fourth beast is described as fundamentally distinct:
Dan 7:7 After that, as I looked on in the night vision, there was a fourth beast — fearsome, dreadful, and very powerful, with great iron teeth — that devoured and crushed, and stamped the remains with its feet. It was different from all the other beasts which had gone before it; and it had ten horns.
This powerful and terrifying creature is indeed “different from all the other beasts which had gone before it”; This creature has “iron teeth”[5] and is unlike any known animal. The beast is described as having ten horns but it morphs before Daniel’s eyes:
Dan 7:8 While I was gazing upon these horns, a new little horn sprouted up among them; three of the older horns were uprooted to make room for it. There were eyes in this horn like those of a man, and a mouth that spoke arrogantly.
This new horn, which displaces three other horns, and has eyes and a mouth that speaks arrogantly, is a unique feature of this fourth beast; this further distinguishes it from the first three.
God and the Heavenly Court Appear
Daniel’s vision continues with the appearance of the heavenly court, including a poetic description of the “Ancient of Days” (עַתִּיק יוֹמִין, i.e., God)[6] on his throne, with his book, a heavenly register of the behavior of those on earth, open before him, surrounded by fire and thousands of angels (vv.9-10). Judgment of the final beast ensues:
Dan 7:11 I was looking on and then, because of the arrogant words that the horn spoke, the beast was killed as I looked on; its body was destroyed and it was consigned to the flames.
A less harsh judgment on the first three beasts follows (v. 12), and the vision ends when sovereignty on earth is given to the “one like a man” (כבר אנש, v. 13), who receives an eternal kingdom (vv. 13-14).[7]
Symbolic Meaning of the Beasts
The vision is enigmatic and even Daniel cannot understand it and needs to enlist the interpretive assistance of an angelic intermediary:[8]
Dan 7:15 As for me, Daniel, my spirit was disturbed within me and the vision of my mind alarmed me. 7:16 I approached one of the attendants and asked him the true meaning of all this. He gave me this interpretation of the matter:
7:17 “These great beasts, four in number mean four kingdoms will arise out of the earth. 7:18 then holy ones of the Most High will receive the kingdom, and will possess the kingdom forever – forever and ever.”
The heavenly attendant explains the vision as outlining four earthly kingdoms, likely in sequential order. Scholars have identified the first three kingdoms as Babylonia, Media, and Persia respectively, with the fourth and final earthly kingdom as Greece (Dan 8:21; 10:20; 11:2).[9] This will be followed by an eternal kingdom under heavenly auspices.[10]
The Nature of the Fourth Beast
Daniel seems uninterested in the first three beasts but wishes to understand the fourth better, especially the talking horn that spoke arrogantly.[11] He sees the following:
Dan 7:21 I looked on as that horn made war with the holy ones and overcame them. [12]
This horn is described as fighting with heaven and even winning, but it will ultimately be punished by a heavenly court, which will take away his dominion, and in its place a heavenly sanctioned, eternal kingdom will be established:
Dan 7:22 Until the Ancient of Days came and judgment was rendered in favor of the holy ones of the Most High, for the time had come, and the holy ones took possession of the kingdom.
At this point, Daniel receives a detailed explanation of the fourth beast:
Dan 7:23 This is what he said: ‘The fourth beast means – there will be a fourth kingdom upon the earth which will be different from all the kingdoms; it will devour the whole earth, tread it down, and crush it. 7:24And the ten horns mean – from that kingdom, ten kings will arise, and after them another will arise. He will be different from the former ones, and will bring low three kings.
The heavenly being’s explanation ends with a description of the judgment of the fourth beast and the establishment of the final, heavenly kingdom that will follow.[13]
Interpreting the Interpretation
As noted above, based on the internal considerations of the book of Daniel and extrabiblical sources, this final kingdom can be identified as Greece. Although the beginnings of this empire are not described in chapter 7, the beginnings of both chapters 8 and 11 (8:5,8; 11:3–4) refer to a great king who dies at the peak of his power and was succeeded by four kings (8:8; 11:4ff.).
In the context of the Hellenistic empire, these can be identified rather easily as Alexander the Great and the Diadochoi, his generals who succeeded him and divided up his empire into smaller kingdoms. The dynastyies of two of these generals, Seleucus Nicanor who founded the kingdom of Syria, and Ptolemy Lagus, who founded the kingdom of Egypt, were particularly relevant for the subsequent Hellenistic history of the land of Israel, which is located between Syria and Egypt. In fact, Daniel 11 goes on to describe the acts of the King(s) of North [= Seleucid king(s)] and the King(s) of the South [= Ptolemiac king(s)].[14]
The ten horns of the fourth beast thus refer to a series of kings in one of these kingdoms, culminating with the blaspheming sovereign represented by the new horn. Scholars agree that the kingdom in question is Syria, and the kings are from the Seleucud dynasty, culminating in Antiochus IV as the blaspheming monarch. It is not fully clear if the number ten here is precise (in which case it would include Alexander too), or whether it is a typological or schematic number.
Antiochus IV and the New Little Horn
The new little horn (קֶרֶן אָחֳרִי זְעֵירָה) that grows on the beast speaks arrogantly, and makes war on heaven is none other than Antiochus IV Epiphanes. The same arrogant king, Antiochus IV, is criticized and feared elsewhere throughout the Danielic apocalypses, which describe in detail his attack on Jerusalem, its Temple, and the religious life of the residents of Judea.
As suggested by John Collins, the final three kings uprooted by Antiochus IV were probably his brother Seleucus IV (ruled 187–175) and his two sons, Antiochus and Demetrius, who were both in line to inherit the throne before Antiochus IV Epiphanes.[15] Seleucus IV was mudered by Heliodorus, and Demetrius was in Rome at the time as a hostage, allowing Antiochus IV to ascend to the throne.
The Horn’s Blasphemies
The text goes on to describe further the outrageous behavior of the new little horn:
דניאל ז:כה וּמִלִּין לְצַד עליא [עִלָּאָה] יְמַלִּל וּלְקַדִּישֵׁי עֶלְיוֹנִין יְבַלֵּא
Dan 7:25 He will speak words against the Most High, and will speak [16][יבלא] (against) the Most High Holy One(s)[17](קדישי עליונין).
The accusation of “speak(ing) words against the Most High” may refer to Antiochus’ usage of divine epithets (“God Manifest [= Epiphanes]”) on his coinage,[18] but more likely refers to his general challenge of God’s Temple and people, which was viewed as blasphemous:[19]
1 Macc 1:54 Now on the fifteenth day of Kislev, in the one hundred forty-fifth year, they erected a desolating sacrilege on the altar of burnt offering… 1:59 On the twenty-fifth day of the month they offered sacrifice on the altar that was on top of the altar of burnt offering.
2 Macc 6:4 For the temple was filled with debauchery and reveling by the Gentiles, who dallied with prostitutes and had intercourse with women within the sacred precincts, and besides brought in things for sacrifice that were unfit.6:5 The altar was covered with abominable offerings that were forbidden by the laws.
The defiling of the Jerusalem Temple and the establishment of “desolating sacrilige” (βδέλυγμα ἐρημώσεως) – the equivalent of the שקוצ(ים) משֹׁמם “the appalling abomination” in Daniel 9:27 (see also 8:13; 11:31; 12:11) – is one of the primary accusations against Antiochus IV. It was perceived as an assault on the divine realm.
The Horn’s Attack on Jewish Holidays
Finally, the text describes this king’s attempt to make changes, presumably in Jewish practices:
He will think of changing times and laws, and they will be delivered into his power….[20]
This king’s desire to “change times and laws” is almost certainly a reference to Antiochus’ decrees against observing Shabbat and other cultic festivals (cf. 1Macc 1:45; 2 Macc 6:6):[21]
4.5.5 - Kingdoms of Significance to Israel
The following chart lists the sequence of kingdoms of significance to Israel, highlighted by Scripture because of their relation to the representative rule of God through the throne of David—the throne God uses ultimately to restore dominion lost through the fall of Adam (Gen. 1:26-28; Ps. 115:16; Mat. 4:8; Luke 4:5). The kingdoms of history revealed within the Bible are those associated most closely with the elective/redemptive goals of God from Genesis through Revelation, but especially because they impinge upon his chosen nation, Israel, and its tribe of Judah out of which arose the Messiah, the ultimate ruler destined to sit upon the throne of David (Gen. 49:10; Isa. 9:6-7; Luke 1:32; Mat. 25:31).
Although Nebuchadnezzar’sdream (chapter 2) and Daniel’s vision (chapter 7) primarily concern five kingdoms—four Gentile world powers followed by the kingdom of God—there are actually nine kingdoms of biblical significance highlighted by Scripture. In our view, the first eight of the nine kingdoms correspond with the eight heads revealed to John (Rev. 17:9-11‣). These represent a broader historical sequence of kingdoms of which the six phases88 of the four Gentile kingdoms revealed to Daniel are a part. Looking backward from his time, John sees seven heads, taking in the sweep of history preceding Daniel’s time. The eighth head was still future to John’s time (Rev. 17:11‣). Daniel’s view differs from John’s because it looks forward in history and omits those kingdoms, seen by John, which had already come and gone prior to Daniel’s time. See the “Heads” column in the following chart.
“Now Cush became the father of Nimrod; he became a mighty one on the earth. He was a mighty hunter before the LORD . . . The beginning of his kingdom was Babel and Erech and Accad and Calneh, in the land of Shinar.” (Gen. 10:8-10).
“And on her forehead a name was written, a mystery, ‘BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.’ ” (Rev. 17:5‣, NASU).
“Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph. And he said to his people, “Look, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we; come, let us deal shrewdly with them, lest they multiply, and it happen, in the event of war, that they also join our enemies and fight against us, and so go up out of the land.” ” (Ex. 1:8-10).
“Then you shall say to Pharaoh, “Thus says the LORD: ‘Israel is My son, My firstborn. So I say to you, let My son go that he may serve Me. But if you refuse to let him go, indeed I will kill your son, your firstborn.’ ” ” (Ex. 4:22-23)
“When Israel was a child, I loved him, And out of Egypt I called My son.” (Hos. 11:1)
Daniel told Belshazzar, “PERES: Your kingdom has been divided, and given to the Medes and Persians. . . . That very night Belshazzar, king of the Chaldeans, was slain. And Darius the Mede received the kingdom, being about sixty-two years old” (Dan. 5:28-31‣).
Daniel was told, “The ram which you saw, having the two horns-they are the kings of Media and Persia” (Dan. 8:20‣).
“And those who escaped from the sword he [the king of Chaldea] carried away to Babylon, where they became servants to him and his sons until the rule of the kingdom of Persia” (2Chr. 36:20).
“Behold I will stir up the Medes against them [Babylon]” (Isa. 13:17a).
“A distressing vision is declared to me; The treacherous dealer deals treacherously, And the plunderer plunders. Go up, O Elam! Besiege, O Media! All its sighing I have made to cease.” (Isa. 21:2).
“Now, O king, establish the decree and sign the writing, so that it cannot be changed, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which does not alter.” (Dan. 6:8‣).
“Make the arrows bright! Gather the shields! The LORD has raised up the spirit of the kings of the Medes. For His plan is against Babylon to destroy it, Because it is the vengeance of the LORD, The vengeance for His temple.” (Jer. 51:11).
“Prepare against her [Babylon] the nations, With the kings of the Medes, Its governors and all its rulers, All the land of his dominion.” (Jer. 51:28).
“Now it took place in the days of Ahasuerus, the Ahasuerus who reigned from India to Ethiopia over 127 provinces . . . in the third year of his reign he gave a banquet for all his princes and attendants, the army officers of Persia and Media, the nobles and the princes of his provinces being in his presence.” (Est. 1:1-3).
“If it pleases the king, let a royal edict be issued by him and let it be written in the laws of Persia and Media so that it cannot be repealed, that Vashti may no longer come into the presence of King Ahasuerus, and let the king give her royal position to another who is more worthy than she.” (Est. 1:19).
Daniel was told, “The ram which you saw, having the two horns-they are the kings of Media and Persia. And the male goat is the kingdom of Greece. The large horn that is between its eyes is the first king” (Dan. 8:20-21‣).
Daniel was told, “three more kings will arise in Persia, and the fourth shall be far richer than them all . . . he shall stir up all against the realm of Greece” (Dan. 11:2‣).
“Also the people of Judah and the people of Jerusalem You have sold to the Greeks” (Joel 3:6a).
“I have . . . raised up your sons, O Zion, against your sons, O Greece” (Zec. 9:13).
John lived under Roman rule and was told, concerning the seven kingdoms, “five have fallen” (Rev. 17:10‣).
The beast emerges out of the seven, as the eighth head, at his revival, “And the beast that was, and is not, is himself also the eighth, and is of the seven . . .” (Rev. 17:11‣).
“I was watching in the night visions, And behold, One like the Son of Man, Coming with the clouds of heaven! He came to the Ancient of Days, And they brought Him near before Him. Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, That all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, Which shall not pass away, And His kingdom the one Which shall not be destroyed” (Dan. 7:13-14‣).
4.5.6 - When Does the Stone Strike?
There is great agreement among interpreters concerning the identity of the five kingdoms revealed in chapter 2 and chapter 7: Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, Rome, and the kingdom of God. But when it comes to interpreting the manner, timing, and nature of the stone (representing the kingdom of God) as it overthrows the previous kingdoms (Dan. 2:34-35‣, 44-45‣), we encounter a major fork in the interpretive road:
Manner - Does the stone suddenly and completely overthrow the previous kingdoms? Or does the stone gradually destroy them during a long historical overlap between the falling away of the kingdoms and the growth of the stone to fill the earth?
Nature - Does the stone, when grown to fill the earth, result in a literal, geopolitical kingdom like the preceding kingdoms? Or is the kingdom represented by the stone of a different, exclusively spiritual, nature?
Timing - Did the stone, representing Messiah and His kingdom, already strike the image at the First Coming of Jesus? Or will the stone only strike at the Second Coming of Christ?
One’s belief concerning these three aspects of the work of the stone are interrelated. For example, those who believe the stone struck at the First Coming generally believe the stone gradually overthrows the previous kingdoms and the this stone kingdom is spiritual and coexists with the geopolitical kingdoms over a long period of time while these kingdoms slowly decline (or are redeemed).
4.5.6.1 - At the First Coming?
The view that the stone struck at the First Coming establishing a spiritual kingdom which coexists with the geopolitical kingdoms and gradually supplants or transforms them, is held by Eugene Peterson, as illustrated by his paraphrase of Daniel 2:44‣ within The Message:105
But throughout the history of these kingdoms, the God of heaven will be building a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will this kingdom ever fall under the domination of another. In the end it will crush the other kingdoms and finish them off and come through it all standing strong and eternal.106
To support this gradual supplanting of the Gentile kingdoms by the kingdom of God, amillennial and postmillennial interpreters emphasize the way the stone grows (implying a lengthy process) to become a mountain filling the earth.
The fact that the stone becomes a mountain is significant. The stone enters the dream as a rock and then grows into a mountain, picturing the Messiah’s first advent, then the growth of his kingdom throughout this world. Thus the vision does not end with the fourth kingdom, but depicts human history beyond the fourth kingdom as the kingdom of God grows. This is confirmed by the final statement, that the mountain “filled the entire earth” (Dan. 2:35‣), which points to the cosmic scope of the church, far beyond Babylon and its environs. . . . This messianic kingdom that struck the statue on its feet continues to crush the kingdoms of this world to this day through the preaching of the Gospel, the administration of the Sacraments, and the ingrafting of new members into the body of Christ, so that the church is spreading into all nations throughout the world.107
Notice how interpreters holding the gradual view explain the way in which the Gentile kingdoms are “crushed” by the stone: not through judgment or dramatic intervention, but by redeeming the culture of the kingdoms through reform and social justice.
The kingdom of God does that in part by the overthrow of the ancient and entrenched wrongs which are characteristic of all the world powers. Note how feudal systems, slavery, and caste systems—institutions of the world powers—yield before the Spirit of Christ in His church.108
For these interpreters, the primary tool used by God to accomplish this socio-redemptive conversion of the previously-Godless kingdoms is the Church, understood to be the kingdom of God on earth—even the ruling scepter of Christ.109
In the [amillennial], and [postmillennial views] for that matter, they interpret it this way, that the kingdom of heaven is the Church, and therefore the kingdom of heaven smashed the fourth empire from the time of Jesus Christ, on up to say about 500 AD, when finally Christianity triumphed over the Roman Empire. And that’s their interpretation of the smashing, that the smashing occurred over a long, long time period, gradually and brought Rome to her knees. That is, the preaching of the gospel destroyed the Roman Empire. That is the [amillennial] and the [postmillennial] interpretation.110
Although such an interpretation may sound reasonable at first, we contend there are major difficulties with such a view. For one, it contradicts the teaching of Scripture on numerous counts.
The stone “rolls,” and the “rolling” is an evangelical process, peaceful, missionary and full of music and love, with now and then some transient friction by way of occasional wars and rumors of war, with here and there a famine, earthquake or pestilence, which, however, only assist the rolling. The grinding is gradual, caused by the progress of Christianity, education, culture and civilization. By religion, better politics, vespers, ethics and love, human governments, especially those of Christian Europe and the United States, will become more Christian, and society be redeemed and reformed sociologically from the evils that now afflict it. The Stone comes in contact first of all with the knee-joints of the Colossus, “rolls” gently down the iron legs, increases in size by aggregation of molecular atoms, or individual saints, and converts the world-power to a nominal Christianity, so that kings, cabinets, parliaments, congresses, nations, all profess to be Christians—massacres, murders, wars and crimes, mammon, selfishness,greed and oppression, to the contrary notwithstanding— swells to a “mountain” before the toes are reached, and so “fills the whole earth.” Strangely enough the Colossus is dwarfed down gradually, the chaff constantly flying,and yet it is all the time standing. The filling of the whole earth, which is posterior to the impact, is made anterior. “Broken to pieces” means glued together, and “smote” means “roll.” “No place found for them,” means that the kingdoms still exist as such, in a Christian form or under a Christian name. Sudden, perpendicular and chaff-making impact is displaced by gentle cycling from knee to ankle-joint and instep to toe, the statue still standing! The word “together” is strangely overlooked, and “one after another” put in its place. The result is, that the prophet is made to tell Nebuchadnezzar that Gentile politics and power will not pass away, but, at the first coming of Christ, a “Stone” will begin to “roll,” and keep on “rolling” for two thousand years, and that in the midst of the millennial age massacres, aided and abetted by “Christian powers,” will shame those of pagan times, and so the “kingdom” will come to victory, the world be converted.111
Premillenarians, however, hold that the kingdom to be established by Christ on earth is yet future. At least six points favor that view: (1) The stone will become a mountain suddenly, not gradually. Christianity did not suddenly fill “the whole earth” (Dan. 2:35‣) at Christ’s First Advent. (2) Though Christ came in the days of the Roman Empire, He did not destroy it. (3) During Christ’s time on earth the Roman Empire did not have 10 kings at once. Yet Nebuchadnezzar’s statue suggests that when Christ comes to establish His kingdom, 10 rulers will be in existence and will be destroyed by Him. (4) Though Christ is now the chief Cornerstone to the church (Eph. 2:20) and “a stone that causes [unbelievers] to stumble” (1 Peter 2:8), He is not yet a smiting Stone as He will be when He comes again. (5) The Stone (Messiah) will crush and end all the kingdoms of the world. But the church has not and will not conquer the world’s kingdoms. (6) The church is not a kingdom with a political realm, but the future Millennium will be. Thus Nebuchadnezzar’s dream clearly teaches premillennialism, that Christ will return to earth to establish His rule on the earth, thereby subduing all nations. The church is not that kingdom.112
Amillennialists . . . interpret the prophecy of the falling stone which smites the image as representing the first advent and the gradual victory of the gospel in the present church age, culminating in the final overthrow of sin in the day of judgment. However, two fallacies are apparent. First, there appears to be in this view an unwarranted identification of the church with the kingdom of God (Dan. 2:44-45‣). Second, the graphic description of the stone striking the image on the feet in no sense suggests a gradual extension and growth of the kingdom or church (a progressive destruction of the heathen image).113
Another liability of the gradual destruction view is its difficulty explaining Church history. This fact has even been noticed by critics of Christianity. Calvin’s attempt to reply to the criticism of Rabbi Barbinel provides a helpful illustration of the problems.
I shall now relate what our brother Anthony has suggested to me, from a certain Rabbi Barbinel, who seems to excel others in acuteness. He endeavors to shew by six principal arguments, that the fifth kingdom cannot relate to our Christ — Jesus, the son of Mary. He first assumes this principle, since the four kingdoms were earthly, the fifth cannot be compared with them, except its nature is the same. [After some discussion, Calvin concludes] . . . The reasoning, therefore, of that rabbi is frivolous, when he infers that Christ’s kingdom ought to be visible, since it could not otherwise correspond with the other kingdoms. . . . [The Rabbi’s] fifth argument is this: — Constantine and other Caesars professed the faith of Christ. If we receive, says he, Jesus the son of Mary as the fifth king, how will this suit? as the Roman Empire was still in existence under this king. For where rite religion of Christ flourishes, where he is worshipped and acknowledged as the only King, that kingdom ought not to be separated from his. When therefore Christ, under Constantine and his successors, obtained both glory and power among the Romans, his monarchy cannot be separated from theirs. The last assertion is, — The Roman empire as yet partially survives, hence what is here said of the fifth monarchy cannot belong to the son of Mary. [emphasis added]114
Although we hold no sympathy for the rabbi’s attempt to deny Jesus as the promised Messiah, we do believe his points are valid: there is a major disconnect between the gradual view and history, not to mention predictions of Scripture.115
4.5.6.2 - At the Second Coming!
We believe the stone: (1) strikes suddenly, completely overthrowing the previous kingdoms; (2) strikes at the Second Coming of Christ; and (3) establishes a literal, geopolitical kingdom which replaces the previous kingdoms with a perfectly righteous global government.
To consider this problem more carefully, we provide the following list of factors demonstrating that the stone did not strike at the First Coming and will not strike until the Second Coming of Christ.
Sudden and Violent Destruction - A straightforward reading of Daniel 2:34-25‣, 40-44‣ describes how the kingdom of God smashes the previous kingdoms by sudden and dramatic—even violent—overthrow. This is not a picture of gradual socio-redemptive spiritual conversion. “What does the symbolism of Daniel 2‣ connote; does it connote something gradual or does it connote something catastrophic and sudden? Second, does it connote a phasing out of a political entity or does it connote a complete discontinuity of history. Is it this kind of thing, where the Roman Empire gradually shades off and the Church gradually picks it up? Is it that kind of a transition, or is it a sudden collision between one kingdom ending and the fifth kingdom beginning. Is there a continuity or is there a discontinuity in history, because if the amill and the postmill is correct, this smashing has already happened, it happened in the age of Constantine, when the Church was declared as the kingdom on earth. It happened, and Augustine will talk about it in . . . The City of God . . . Is it that or is it something yet to come to pass?”116 Barnes, who believes the stone as having struck at the first advent realizes the problem and attempts to respond. “How, if this [the striking] is designed to apply to the kingdom of the Messiah, can the description be true? The language here would seem to imply some violent action; some positive crushing force; something like what occurs in conquests when nations are subdued. Would it not appear from this that the kingdom here represented was to make its way by conquests in the same manner as the other kingdoms, rather than by a silent and peaceful influence? Is this language, in fact, applicable to the method in which the kingdom of Christ is to supplant all others?”117 Barnes labors for another four paragraphs to convince himself and the reader that the dramatic description found in Daniel 2‣ could somehow refer to the gradual working of Christianity to eventually overthrow Rome. Amillennial and postmillennial interpreters confuse the present age of grace following the First Coming with the prophesied cataclysmic judgment preceding the Second Coming. “The ‘Stone’ does not ‘fill the earth’ by degrees and thus ‘crowd out’ the Image, it at one blow DEMOLISHES IT, and its remains are blown away. The action of the ‘Stone’ is JUDGMENT, not Grace. Not the spread of a ‘Spiritual Kingdom’ by the preaching of the Gospel, but the immediate setting up of an outward and visible earthly Kingdom. The ‘Stone’ therefore cannot mean Christianity, for it is a PROCESS, whereas the action of the ‘Stone’ is SUDDEN AND CALAMITOUS.”118“It does not act by a moral influence that changes the character of the object on which it acts. It destroys that object by force.”119 Another problem for the amillennial and postmillennial views is the amount of time it has taken so far and still the kingdom of God—if embodied by the Church—has not finished smiting the image. “No one would ever have dreamed that the smiting by the stone of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream described a long process now more than nineteen hundred years underway and still far from completion.”120 The expectation of a sudden and violent destruction when the stone strikes is confirmed by the New Testament (1Th. 5:2-4) and especially by the Book of Revelation’s predicted series of severe judgments (the seals, trumpets, and bowls) preceding the second advent.
Image Destroyed Before the Stone Grows - The sequence of actions in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream is as follows: (1) the stone strikes the image (Dan. 2:34‣); (2) the metals are crushed (Dan. 2:35‣a); (3) a wind carries their remains away like chaff (Dan. 2:35‣b); (4) then the stone becomes a mountain filling the earth (Dan. 2:35‣c). Notice the image is completely destroyed and all trace of it removed before the stone grows. “The stone does not gradually increase in size to displace the image. Before it extends itself, it destroys the image.”121“According to the vision, the statue and the stone do not co-exist except for that brief moment when the stone is obliterating the statue.”122“Although the text does present the kingdom of God as becoming a great mountain, the text presents this as an action that takes place after the destruction and sweeping away of the other kingdoms. . . . There is no sense of a gradual overcoming of the statue, or a gradual replacing of the statue by the growing stone. . . . The stone grew to fill the whole earth only after the statue was completely gone.”123Calvin recognizes the problem and attempts to circumvent it by suggesting the previously unrevealed Gentile kingdoms will remain after the stone struck, but that God chose not to reveal them to Daniel. “But Daniel says — the image perished when the Roman empire was broken up, and yet we observe in the East and the neighboring regions the greatest monarchs still reigning with very formidable prowess. I reply . . . the dream was presented to King Nebuchadnezzar, that he might understand all future events to the renovation of the world [the arrival of Christ]. Hence God was not willing to instruct the king of Babylon further than to inform him of the four future monarchies which should possess the whole globe, and should obscure by their splendor all the powers of the world, and draw all eyes and all attention to itself; and afterwards Christ should come and overthrow those monarchies. . . . No mention is made of other kingdoms, because they had not yet emerged into importance sufficient to be compared to these four monarchies.”124 Calvin is clutching at straws because the dream clearly allows for no additional kingdoms once the kingdom of God is established. Since Daniel 2‣ and Daniel 7‣ present parallel perspectives of the sequence of kingdoms and the way the kingdom of God overthrows them, we can look to Daniel 7‣ to see there is no indication of gradual overthrow of the last beast during which the saints possess the kingdom while the beast kingdom is still operative. First, the horn is destroyed (Dan. 7:11‣, 26‣) and then the kingdom is given to the saints (Dan. 7:14‣, 27‣). It is an all-or-nothing transition. There is no point when the saints possess the kingdom and are also given into the hands of the beast. This mutually-exclusive sequence is also found in Revelation 13‣.
Kingdom of Iron is not Destroyed at the First Coming - A plain reading of the dream of Daniel 2‣ suggests whenever the stone strikes, all four previous kingdoms (the fourth having dominion but incorporating cultural influences from the previous three) are destroyed. Those who think the stone struck at the First Coming must believe Rome was destroyed as a result of the First Coming. “But it is just as true that the Christian Church broke the power of pagan Rome. The disintegrating and corrupt empire crumbled through decay from within as well as through the impact of the sound morals and the healthy life of Christianity that condemned lascivious Rome. Other factors played into the process, not the least of which was the migration of barbarian hordes, who came in countless myriads from the Germanic forests and central Europe. But the deepest and most powerful forces alive in history are moral forces like Christianity in particular. Their influence is most keenly felt and goes farthest. Christianity was in a sense God’s judgment upon sinful Rome.”125 However, the fall of Rome cannot be attributed to the influence of Christianity. “In fact it was not the Christian church that undermined the Roman Empire, a fact that Augustine takes great pains to prove in The City of God. As Augustine argued, it was the corruption of the empire from within that caused it to collapse, and most historians concur with his estimation.”126 In other words, it was Rome’s corruption—the exact opposite of what would be expected as a result of Christian influence—which contributed to her downfall. “According to both amillenarians and some postmillenarians, the kingdom of God which is here mentioned is that which was introduced by Christ at His first coming. This, of course, presupposes the destruction of the image by the church in succeeding centuries. . . The principal difficulty is that as a matter of fact Christianity was not the decisive force that broke the Roman Empire. The main reason was its internal decay and the political conditions which surrounded it. Further, the decay of the Roman Empire extended for more than a thousand years after the first coming of Christ. In other words, the time factor was greater than the period from Nebuchadnezzar to Christ. . . . There is certainly no evidence, nineteen hundred years after Christ, that the kingdom of God has conquered the entire world. . . . If it were not necessary to make Daniel’s image conform somehow to the amillennial and postmillennial concept of the gradual conquering of the world by the gospel, no one would ever have dreamed that the smiting by the stone of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream described a long process now more than nineteen hundred years underway and still far from completion. . . . As a matter of fact, in the twentieth century the church has been an ebbing tide in the affairs of the world; and there has been no progress whatever in the church’s gaining control of the world politically. If the image represents the political power of the Gentiles, it is very much still standing.”127“Such a destruction of the Gentile monarchy-system did not occur at the first advent of Christ. On the contrary, He was put to death by the sentence of an officer of the fourth empire, which was then at the zenith of its power.”128
Kingdom of Iron Mixed with Clay was not Present at the First Coming - Nebuchadnezzar’s dream indicates the stone struck at a specific place on the image, the stone struck the image on its feet of iron and clay (Dan. 2:34‣). Therefore, the stone cannot strike the image: (1) until the stage in history represented by the feet; (2) until the iron (Roman Empire) has already become mixed with the clay. The problem for those who believe the stone struck at the time of the cross is that Rome had not yet reached its peak and had not intermingled with clay (become fragmented). Young realizes this dilemma and attempts to dismiss the details concerning the anatomy where the stone strikes the image.129“The striking of the feet is symbolical, and does not necessarily have any particular reference to the fourth kingdom. The image is struck on the feet, because such a blow will cause it to totter and fall. Where else would one strike a blow that would cause the entire image to fall?”130 Steinmann attempts to evade the problem by ignoring the presence of clay in the feet where the stone strikes. “The striking of the statue on its feet (Dan. 2:34‣) indicates that the destruction will happen during the time signified by the iron part of the statue.”131 These are evasions: the stone strikes the image on its feet of iron and clay and since Rome was unified at the time of the First Coming, it cannot be the time when the stone would strike.
Ten Toes were not Present at First Coming - The mixture of iron and clay in the final phase of the fourth kingdom includes the toes (Dan. 2:41-42‣). Since the stone strikes the final form of the kingdom, comprised of both iron and clay (see above), the toes must be present at the time the stone strikes. Almost all interpreters understand the (implicit ten) toes of the image seen by Nebuchadnezzar as correlating to the ten horns seen by Daniel (Dan. 7:7‣, 20‣, 24‣). If the ten toes correspond to the ten kings, then it is inconsistent to view the stone as having already struck the ten toes at the First Coming while the ten horns are not overthrown until the Second Coming. “The vast majority of commentators agree the dream statue of chap. 2 parallels the beast vision recorded in chap. 7. Regardless of millennial persuasion, scholars have generally interpreted the coming of the kingdom of God during the time of the ten horns in Dan. 7‣ to denote the second coming of Christ. Since the latter part of the statue (with its ten toes) corresponds to the latter part of the beast vision (the ten horns), it is logical to understand the rock destroying this segment of the image as also symbolizing the kingdom of God established at the Lord’s return.”132 Moreover, scripture reveals the ten horns to be ten contemporaneous kings (Dan. 7:24‣ cf. Rev. 17:12‣, 16‣). Neither history nor Scripture reveal ten contemporaneous kings ruling during the First Coming of Christ. “Historically, the original Roman empire knew no time when ten contemporaneous subkings ruled; therefore, the time in view here, when this condition will be met, must be still future. Furthermore, even if such a time during the original Roman era could be found (attempts have been made, but unsuccessfully), all times which have presented any possibility are located in history well after the time of Christ and His beginning of the spiritual kingdom.”133“The ten toes on the feet of the image represent (as a comparison with the ten horns on the Beast in chapter seven will make plain) ten kings who are to reign at one time, but who will form a confederacy on the ground of the ancient empire. This is something which the world has never yet seen. The commentators generally tell us that the ten-toed condition of the empire was reached in the fifth and sixth centuries, when the barbarians from the North overran the Roman empire, and it was divided into something like ten different kingdoms. A number of different lists have been made, of ten kingdoms each; but few writers agree as to the actual divisions. One thing they all seem to have overlooked: the ten kingdoms are to exist at one time, not through a period of several centuries, and all are to form one confederation. There is nothing in the past history of the kingdoms of Europe that answers to this.”134 Leupold attempts to evade the significance of the ten toes/ten horns by taking ten as a non-literal symbolic number. “Yet we are, no doubt, correct in saying that the toes, generally speaking, represent the kingdoms into which the Roman Empire broke up when the disintegration set in. Since ten is the number of completeness or totality this would have the toes represent the sum total of these kingdoms. All attempts to name the resultant kingdoms of an earlier or a later date prove abortive and unreliable. For the number ten is definitely a symbolical number as are numbers generally in visions or dreams of this type. . . . Those interpreters who attempt to find the fulfillment of prophecy in enumerations in which ten European kingdoms are reckoned as an exact ten in number are seen to have juggled the facts in an unworthy way and to cut the evidence down to suit the preordained pattern.”135 Leupold’s view is erroneous because the ten toes equate to the ten horns out of which Scripture indicates an eleventh horn will arise and overthrow three of the ten (Dan 7:8‣). These related numbers make little sense if ten is merely a “symbolical number.” The ten horns revealed to Daniel in the OT are identical to the ten horns revealed to John in the NT (Rev. 12:3‣; 13:1‣; 17:3‣, 7‣, 12‣, 16‣). Yet, in the book of Revelation, the ten horns are future to John’s day, “The ten horns which you saw are ten kings who have received no kingdom as yet, but they receive authority for one hour as kings with the beast” (Rev. 17:12‣). This provides further evidence the ten toes of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream did not exist136 as late as 95 A.D. when John wrote Revelation.137 We agree with Fausset, “The falling of the stone of the feet of the image cannot refer to Christ at His first advent, for the fourth kingdom was not then as yet divided—no toes were in existence . . .”138139
The Nature of the Kingdoms - How can literal geopolitical kingdoms be completely replaced by a non-literal, spiritual kingdom? The idea that the fourth kingdom continues in the geopolitical sphere of influence while the fifth kingdom of God merely comes alongside it in a different “spiritual” sphere of influence reads an unnatural division into the dream. The kingdom of God must manifest in the same sphere of influence as a literal geopolitical kingdom in order to expunge and replace the previous kingdoms. “As the four Kingdoms typified by the ‘Colossus’ are literal kingdoms, it follows that the ‘Stone Kingdom’ must be a literal kingdom for it takes the place of the kingdoms that are destroyed and conquers the whole earth.”140“The fact that the text presents this kingdom as parallel with the earlier kingdoms argues that it will be earthly and physical in character, as they were.”141“The Last Kingdom replaces the first Four in the dream, and is, in the idea of the scene, spatially bound as are its predecessors; the Mountain fills the whole earth, is not a spiritual Kingdom of Heaven.”142 This final literal geopolitical kingdom is not established until the return of Christ (Rev. 20:4-6‣). Those who attempt to find fulfillment of the stone striking at the First Coming must spiritualize passages in the OT describing this time period (e.g., Ps. 2:6-9; Mic. 4:1-2; Zec. 9:9-10; 14:16-21). Those who reject such an idea as “carnal”,143, and incompatible with the teaching of the NT, should consider how Jesus could have been legitimately tempted by Satan’s offer of the literal geopolitical kingdoms of the world (Luke 4:5-6)? “Why would Christ be tempted to do something He didn’t want to do? He didn’t have a sin nature remember! Therefore, we maintain that the strength of this particular temptation, and Jesus’ response to it (in Luke 4:12 - which shows, I think, that He was tempted), present proof that it is indeed within His plan to reign over this earth one day; and this is in-line with Luke 1:32-33 and OT expectations in Mic 5:2; Isa. 11:1-10; Jer. 33:15f., Zec. 14:9 etc.”144“The period of Daniel’s prophecies, therefore, is that from the downfall of the theocracy at the captivity till its final restoration, yet future—the period of the dominion of the world powers, not set aside by Christ’s first coming (John 18:36; for, to have taken the earth-kingdom then, would have been to take it from Satan’s hands, Mat. 4:8-10), but to be superseded by His universal and everlasting kingdom at His second coming (Rev. 11:15‣).”145
Antichrist must be Overthrown First - Since the sequence of kingdoms in Daniel 2‣ and Daniel 7‣ match, the conditions during the overthrow of the fourth kingdom in each passage must also match. When we examine the overthrow of the fourth kingdom in Daniel’s vision in chapter 7, we find the kingdom of God does not come until after Antichrist is destroyed (Dan. 7:20-22‣, 25-27‣). Furthermore, Antichrist is not destroyed until the Second Coming of Christ (Dan. 7:11‣; 2Th. 2:8; Rev. 19:20‣). Therefore, the stone could not have struck the fourth kingdom at the First Coming.146Church fathers such as Origen,147Chrysostom,148 and Cyril of Jerusalem149 understood the Antichrist as a figure, future to their day, who would be destroyed at the Second Coming. Even Jesus associated the events of Daniel 7‣ with His Second Coming (Mat. 26:64; Mark 13:26; 14:62 cf. Dan. 7:13‣). “The ruler who dominates the political scene is declared to have power given to him to continue forty and two months. This three and one-half year period may be identified with the future great tribulation of Daniel 12:1‣ and Matthew 24:21 which is in turn related to the prophecy of Daniel 9:27‣ as being the last three and one-half years of the 490 years of Daniel’s prophecy pictured in Daniel 9:24-27‣. More important is the fact that the forty-two months (Rev 13:5‣) culminate in the second coming of Christ when, according to Revelation 19‣, the beast of Revelation 13‣ is captured and cast into the lake of fire (Rev 19:20‣). This clearly identifies the time factor as that immediately preceding the second coming of Christ and therefore future, not a part of past Roman history.”150
The Times of the Gentiles are Still Underway - We have seen the four Gentile kingdoms correspond to the Times of the Gentiles. One characteristic of this period is the absence of a king ruling upon the throne of David. Since Jesus is presently seated at the right hand of the Father’s throne in heaven (Rev. 3:21‣) and will not take up His throne, the throne of David on earth, until the Second Coming (Mat. 25:31), we know the Times of the Gentiles are still underway. Moreover, Jesus Himself indicated the Times of the Gentiles would continue beyond the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. (Luke 21:24). This period is also characterized by the global dispersion of the Jews, which continues today. Scripture also indicates, within Jesus’ government, the disciples will rule over Israel (Mat. 19:28) while other saints rule elsewhere within the kingdom (Dan. 7:26-27‣; Rev. 20:4‣). This is not happening today. Because the Times of the Gentiles are still underway, we know the image has not yet been struck by the stone.
The Head of Gold (Babylon) has Never been Destroyed as Prophesied - As we discuss elsewhere, numerous prophecies concerning the destruction of Babylon—the head of gold of the image—have never been fulfilled. As seen in Daniel 5‣, the “fall” of Babylon to Medo-Persia took place without a major battle. Daniel evidently understood that aspects of Babylon’s destruction did not find fulfillment is his day because he did not flee from Babylon as instructed by the Scriptures (Isa. 48:20; Jer. 50:8, 28; 51:6, 45; Zec. 2:7). How is it that Daniel, who was intimately familiar with the book of Jeremiah (Dan. 9:2‣), ignored Jeremiah’s exhortations to flee Babylon? Evidently, he understood those passages to describe a destruction of Babylon unrelated to the overthrow of Babylonian by Darius the Mede. Since the head of gold has never been destroyed as predicted by the Scriptures (see also Isa. 13; 14; Rev. 17‣; 18‣) we know the stone has not yet struck the image.
A Denial of Present Reality - If the stone struck at the cross, then why, nearly two millennia later, is the world still filled with ungodly chaff (Ps. 1:4)? “When one looks at the crime, atrocities, and injustices of this present world, it is difficult to sense that the kingdom of God has now filled the earth. All persons have not entered Christ’s kingdom, nor do they submit to his authority (the vast majority do not). Yet when Christ returns, all will acknowledge him as Lord (cf. Php. 2:10-11).”151“Has the Church ended all of Roman culture? Has the Church ended all of Greek thought? Has the Church ended all of the superstitious religion and the cultic rites of Babylon? . . . not at all, not at all! The smashing is yet future because when the smashing occurs it will end all these kingdoms. And we still see the kingdoms influencing us today.”152“The primary concern of this passage is the question, How are the nations of the world related to this ‘stone’? The clear testimony of Scripture is that unbelieving nations will continue to reject the grace of God in Jesus Christ until the day of judgment arrives, from which there is no escape . . .”153
Numerous early interpreters expected Daniel’s prophecy would not find fulfillment until a future date. Josephus thought Daniel’s prophecy concerned “things that are future” to his day.154 Among early interpreters who associate the overthrow of the kingdoms with the Second Coming are Cyril of Jerusalem,155Eusebius,156Hippolytus157, Irenaeus158, Origen,159 and Theodoret.160
Having seen evidence from both Scripture and early interpreters that the stone does not strike the image until the Second Coming of Christ, how are we to understand our own day? In what sense can it be said the fourth kingdom (Rome) will be present in the future when Jesus returns in judgment? Walton provides a helpful summary of the interpretive options:162
In summary, three positions are commonly held among evangelicals today, all of which posit Rome as the fourth empire: (1) The fourth empire and the ten horns are all in the past, and the kingdom of God is represented and fulfilled in the Church. Fulfillment is viewed as complete. This view is at least as old as Augustine. (2) The fourth kingdom is still in power through the continued influence (political, religious, cultural, etc.) of the Roman empire, but the ten-horns stage is still future. An early proponent of this view is Jerome, and it seems to be the most popular view, historically speaking. But it is held by very few today because of the historical difficulties. (3) The fourth kingdom is over, and we are now in a prophetic gap that will end when a ten-nation confederacy reconstitutes the Roman empire. This view is scarce, if not nonexistent, prior to the nineteenth century.163
Our discussion above shows that, although position #1 was promoted as early as Augustine, such a view runs contrary to a large body of Scriptural evidence. This leaves the remaining two options.
4.5.7.1 - A Prophetic Gap?
There is strong Scriptural evidence for the existence of unforeseen gaps within prophetic passages.164 Numerous examples spring to mind such as between the betrayal and triumph of Christ in relation to Satan (Gen. 3:15), between the birth and reign of Jesus (Isa. 9:6-7), between the preaching of good tidings and the day of judgment (Isa. 61:1-2 cf. Luke 4:17-19), between the presentation of the king and the time of global peace (Zec. 9:9-10), between the First Coming of Christ and the destruction of Antichrist at His Second Coming (Dan. 9:26-27‣), between the striking of the Shepherd and the restoration of Israel (Zec. 13:7-9 cf. Mat. 26:21; Mark 14:27), between the baptism of the Spirit on the Day of Pentecost and the baptism by Fire at the future judgment (Mat. 3:11-12), between the first and second resurrections—separated by a period of 1,000 years (John 5:28-29 cf. Rev. 20:4-5‣).
Scripture also indicates the body of Christ, the Church (born on the day of Pentecost), was not revealed to the Old Testament prophets (Eph. 3:1-6; Col. 1:24-27). Hence, the Church age—nearly 2,000 years long as we write this—was not revealed in the OT. This means those who were given inspired revelation in both OT and NT often wrote about events within a verse or two of each other which turned out to be separated by long periods of time. Add to this Israel’s failure to respond to the bona fide offer of the kingdom made to her by Jesus at his First Coming (Zec. 9:9; Mat. 10:5-6; 15:24; 21:5; Mark 7:27; John 1:11), and it becomes clear the potential end of the Times of the Gentiles was extended (Luke 21:24; Acts 1:6-7) such that the age of the Church might well be omitted from Nebuchadnezzar’sdream and Daniel’s vision of the Sequence of Kingdoms.165
OT prophecy in general does not deal with the period between Christ’s first and second advents. Thus in the Book of Daniel the period between ancient Rome (the time of Christ’s first coming) and Rome’s final phase (immediately preceding Christ’s return) is not described. It should also be noted that the peoples who made up ancient Rome and who will come together to form the final phase of that empire during the last days have continued to survive throughout the centuries through various nations and empires, particularly those of Europe. In that sense the Roman Empire has never ceased to exist.166
Probably the best solution to the problem is the familiar teaching that Daniel’s prophecy actually passes over the present age, the period between the first and second coming of Christ or, more specifically, the period between Pentecost and the rapture of the church.167
The important fact to see (and failure to see it has produced interminable confusion, even among premillennialists) is that the vision does not portray Gentile world power represented by Rome while Israel is temporarily in national rejection and the church is being called out. That truth is in accord with general Old Testament prophecy and typology in which the church is latent but not patent in the Old Testament, concealed in the mind and purpose of God, but unrevealed to the Old Testament saints and revealed in the New Testament as a mystery (Eph. 3:1-10), that is, a previously undisclosed truth now divinely disclosed. Hence, Daniel’s prophecy passes over the present church age.168
An objection might be raised, that we do not find any such [global] power existing now. This is true. There exists no such imperial rule in the world, nor has there been since the fall of Rome, though there have been occasional pretenders to it. But it has failed. The book of Revelation shows us this suspension. There was such a ruler once, while imperial Rome subsisted—one who had kings for his servants. But now there is an interval, when all that is over. Still it is to be revived. And this, I believe, is one great change that awaits the world at the present time. It will take men by surprise; and when accomplished, it will be the means of concentrating the power of Satan, and of bringing about his plans on the earth. [emphasis added]169
4.5.7.2 - Rome Continues?
Another possibility may be suggested by the details of Nebuchadnezzar’sdream. When the stone finally strikes the image, “the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold were crushed together” (Dan. 2:35‣). When the final fourth kingdom is destroyed, elements of the earlier kingdoms, no longer having dominion or visible presence, continue in the fourth kingdom. This is also evident in the vision granted John concerning the fourth kingdom, “The beast which I saw was like a leopard, his feet were like the feet of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion” (Rev. 13:2‣). Scripture indicates the fourth kingdom, the beast, exhibits attributes of the previous three kingdoms.
The fact that, though the feet are smitten, the other parts of the body are broken as well indicates that, though the sovereignty passes from one empire to another, the preceding empires have not entirely ceased to be. They simply are no longer dominant empires, but their material, their civilization, religion, and culture are left, having been successively absorbed, both in their good and their bad elements. Consequently, when the last monarchy is crushed, they are all crushed.170
Thus, after a specific kingdom is overthrown or subsumed by another, some of its attributes are incorporated into the following kingdom and such that its influence continues. In this way, Rome’s influence continues among the nations, peoples, and cultures which arose out of its demise.
Nebuchadnezzar’s dream also reveals three phases of the fourth, Roman, kingdom: (1) iron alone; (2) feet of iron mixed with clay; (3) toes of iron mixed with clay. If iron alone represents unified Rome at the time of the First Coming of Christ and the toes of iron mixed with clay correspond to the ten horns (Dan. 7:7‣, 20‣, 24‣), the final confederation of ten contemporaneous kings (Rev. 17:12-13‣), then it would seem we may currently be living in the time of the feet of iron mixed with clay. In other words, Rome has degraded to a point where it is no longer a clearly identifiable unified “iron” kingdom. Numerous interpreters understand the clay and the mention made of mixing with the seed of men (Dan. 2:43‣) as an indication of a democratic or republican influence upon the remaining iron fragments of Rome.
Here we see “Imperialism” mixed with “Democracy.” The Iron representing “Imperialism,” and the Clay “Democracy.” In short the character of government passes from an “ABSOLUTE AUTOCRACY” to a “DEMOCRATIC MONARCHY,” to the rule of the “Head” by the “Feet,” to a form of Government in which the masses, swayed by politicians and demagogues, who think only of their own selfish interests, control the Government. Such a form of government is the weakest that can be devised and opens the way for the growth and development of Socialism, Sovietism, Bolshevism, and Anarchy. The fact that such phases of government are becoming more prominent seems to indicate that, historically, we are now living in the time indicated by the “Feet” of the “Image,” and that it will not be long before the “Toes” will appear in the form of “Ten Federated Nations,” over which a Roman Emperor will rule.171
4.5.7.2.1 - The Image Still Stands
Those who understand the image in Nebuchadnezzar’svision to indicate an ongoing Roman influence are often criticized for artificially extending the significance of the image beyond its original historical setting. After all, Rome existed in a much more visible way at the time of the cross. But all interpretations face this same dilemma. Those who believe the stone struck the image at the time of the cross admit that the image has not yet been toppled because today “the Church continues to chip away” at the image as it converts and reforms the social systems of the world. If the socio-political influences of the four metal kingdoms continue their opposition to God’s kingdom today, then the image has not yet been toppled. Thus, the requirement for the historical span of the image to encompass our own day and beyond is not unique to futurist interpreters.
In summary, we believe there are two possible ways to understand our present position within the sequence of kingdoms:172
Prophetic Gap - A prophetic gap exists somewhere in the representation of the fourth kingdom. If the gap occurs within the legs of iron, then we may expect a “revived” Rome to reappear on the stage of world history prior to the mixing of clay and arrival of the ten kings. Such a scenario raises the possibility that the description of Rome “devouring the whole earth” (Dan. 7:23‣) describes its reappearance prior to the arrival of the ten horns. If so, then a global government will precede the ten horns, followed by the final rule of Antichrist (Rev. 13‣). See commentary on Daniel 7:23.
Continuance - The iron leg phase existed at the First Coming of Christ but eventually gave way, in the break up of Rome, to the feet mixed with clay phase. This phase has continued since. The next phase will come when the nations comprising the pieces of iron mixed with clay produce ten contemporaneous kings—eventually controlled by the final king, the Antichrist (Dan. 7:24‣; Rev. 17:12-13‣).
1 Macc 1:44 And the king sent letters by messengers to Jerusalem and the towns of Judah; he directed them to follow customs strange to the land, 1:45 to forbid burnt offerings and sacrifices and drink offerings in the sanctuary, to profane sabbaths and festivals, 1:46 to defile the sanctuary and the priests, 1:47 to build altars and sacred precincts and shrines for idols, to sacrifice swine and other unclean animals, 1:48 and to leave their sons uncircumcised. They were to make themselves abominable by everything unclean and profane, 1:49so that they would forget the law and change all the ordinances.
2 Macc 6:6 People could neither keep the sabbath, nor observe the festivals of their ancestors, nor so much as confess themselves to be Jews.
Thus, the king represented by the small, new horn seems clearly to refer to Antiochus IV, and his abominable behavior is almost certainly a reference to the Antiochian persecutions which motivated the successful Hasmonean revolt commemorated by Chanukah.
1. Head of Gold (Winged Lion): BABYLONIA (Dan. 2:38; 7:4).
(Dan. 2:38) Wherever the sons of men dwell, or the beasts of the field, or the birds of the sky, He has given them into your hand and has caused you to rule over them all. You [Nebuchadnezzar] are the head of gold.
(Dan. 7:4) 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.
Daniel makes no mention of Babylonia in chapter 8, because it was already deposed as an empire at this point (Dan. 8:1). However, in chapter 2, Daniel clearly equates the head of gold with Babylon (2:38). Other symbols support this interpretation:
“Like a lion and had the wings of an eagle” Jeremiah symbolized Nebuchadnezzar as a lion (Jer. 4:7; 49:19, 22; 50:17, 44) and various prophets characterized him as an eagle (Jer. 49:22; Lam. 4:19; Ezek. 17:3; Hab. 1:8). Moreover, winged lions guarded the gates of the royal palaces. Archer writes, “The lion symbol was characteristic of Babylon, especially in Nebuchadnezzar’s time, when the Ishtar Gate entrance was adorned on either side with a long procession of yellow lions on blue-glazed brick, fashioned in high relief.”[3]
“A human mind also was given to it” This expression refers to Nebuchadnezzar getting his sanity back after God took it from him (Dan. 4:28-37) for seven years (Dan. 4:16).
Nebuchadnezzar’s reign ended in 562 BC—several decades after this prophecy was given. Several kings reigned after him, but they were ultimately defeated by the Persians in 539 BC. Thus Daniel predicted the first world empire as Babylonia.
2. Breast and Arms of Silver (Bear; Ram): MEDIA-PERSIA (Dan. 2:39a; 7:5; 8:3, 20)
(Dan. 2:39a) After you there will arise another kingdom inferior to you…
(Dan. 7:5) 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!’
(Dan. 8:3, 20) Then I lifted my eyes and looked, and behold, a ram which had two horns was standing in front of the canal. Now the two horns were long, but one was longer than the other, with the longer one coming up last… 20 The ram which you saw with the two horns represents the kings of Media and Persia.
Daniel doesn’t explicitly name this kingdom in chapter 2; however in his second and third vision, Daniel specifically identifies this empire with Media-Persia (Dan. 8:20). Historically, Media-Persia ruled from 539 to 331 BC. Archer writes, “Alexander the Great… began his invasion of Persia in 334, [and] crushed its last resistance in 331.”[4]
“There will arise another kingdom inferior to you” Daniel refers to this second kingdom as “inferior” to Babylon (Dan. 2:39a). He must not be thinking in terms of its conquering ability. Media-Persia conquered more land than Babylon. He must be thinking in terms of moral quality, in the same way that silver is worse than gold in quality.
“Raised up on one side” This most likely refers to the Persians over the Medes. The Persians came up last, but were greater and absorbed the Medes. Moreover, the vision of the “ram” in 8:3 states that one horn was longer than another, fitting with this interpretation of chapter 7.
“Three ribs were in its mouth” This most likely refers to the people that the Media-Persians subdued: the Babylonians (539 B.C.), Lydians (546 B.C.), and Egyptians (525 B.C.).
“A ram which had two horns” In Daniel 8, Daniel sees a ram (v.3) which represents Media-Persia (v.20). Miller comments “A ram was a fitting symbol of the empire… the Persian ruler carried the gold head of a ram when he marched before his army.”[5]
Thus Daniel specifically identifies the second major empire with Media-Persia.
3. Belly and Thighs of Bronze (Four-Winged Leopard; Shaggy Goat): GREECE (Dan. 2:39b; 7:6; 8:21-22)
(Dan. 2:39b) …Then another third kingdom of bronze, which will rule over all the earth.
(Dan. 7:6) 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.
(Dan. 8:21-22) The shaggy goat represents the kingdom of Greece22The four horns that replaced the one that was broken off represent four kingdoms that will emerge from his nation but will not have the same power.
Daniel clearly explains this kingdom as Greece, and this surely refers to Alexander the Great. Historically, the Grecian Empire ruled from 333 to 63 BC. While this beast isn’t as powerful as the others, it is far faster. This would fit with Daniel’s understanding of the beast as a leopard, which is known for its speed—not strength. Alexander conquered the known world an alarming speed—within 10-15 years.
“Which will rule over all the earth” This language refers to scope of Alexander’s conquering. Alexander the Great conquered most of the known world (from Macedonia to India).
“The four horns that replaced the one that was broken off represent four kingdoms that will emerge from his nation but will not have the same power” Alexander the Great didn’t have an heir to take over the empire. Actually, he had two sons (Alexander IV and Herakles), but they were quickly murdered. Thus the four heads refer to the four generals who divided his kingdom after his premature death in 323 BC (c.f. Dan. 8:8). His generals were (1) Antipater in Macedon-Greece, (2) Lysimachus in Thrace-Asia Minor, (3) Seleucus in Asia, and (4) Ptolemy in Egypt, Cyrenaica, and Palestine.[6]
4-1. Legs of Iron—Feet of Iron and Clay (10 horned beast with iron Teeth): ROME (Dan. 2:40)
(Dan. 2:40) Then there will be a fourth kingdom as strong as iron; inasmuch as iron crushes and shatters all things, so, like iron that breaks in pieces, it will crush and break all these in pieces.
(Dan. 7:7) 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 specifies this following kingdom as a solitary one (“it”), and he also speaks of it being more vicious than the earlier kingdoms. He connects the visions of chapters 2 and 7 by mentioning iron toes/teeth and ten toes/horns. Moreover, both empires are mentioned last on the list.
Why doesn’t Daniel name this empire specifically as Rome?
Students of Scripture often ask why Daniel doesn’t explicitly name this empire as Rome. Daniel wrote his book in 530 B.C. Therefore, if he named Rome by name here, he would be mentioning an empire that didn’t even exist yet. This is probably why Daniel can’t even describe the beast itself, using language like “dreadful and terrifying and extremely strong,” rather than giving it a name like the others (e.g. lion, bear, ram, etc.).
Moreover, Daniel’s descriptions surely match with the Roman Empire. Miller writes, “The Roman Empire dominated the world from the defeat of Carthage in 146 B.C. to the division of the East and West empires in A.D. 395, approximately five hundred years.”[7] Both Josephus and 2 Esdras (12:10–51) believed the fourth empire was Rome. Miller writes, “Only in modern times did the opinion that Greece was the fourth empire become widespread.”[8]
Is the fourth beast Greece?
Some critical scholars try to end the world kingdoms with Antiochus in 167 BC, splitting Media-Persia into two successive kingdoms. But Daniel clearly speaks of these as one empire—not two (Dan. 6:8, 15; 8:20).
Other critical scholars argue that the fourth beast is the successor of Alexander the Great. However, Archer argues, “Such an identification of the fourth empire can hardly be reconciled with the description of the fourth kingdom (cf. 7:7) as greater and stronger than the third. Could one segment of Alexander’s empire be considered more extensive than his entire realm? Or could its power be considered more formidable than that of Alexander himself—Alexander who never lost a battle? This theory cannot be taken seriously.”[9]
For these reasons, we hold that the fourth beast must be Rome.
4-2. Legs of Iron—Feet of Iron and Clay (Ten Horns): ROME II (Dan. 2:41-43)
(Dan. 2:41-43) In that you saw the feet and toes, partly of potter’s clay and partly of iron, it will be a divided kingdom; but it will have in it the toughness of iron, inasmuch as you saw the iron mixed with common clay. 42 As the toes of the feet were partly of iron and partly of pottery, so some of the kingdom will be strong and part of it will be brittle. 43 And in that you saw the iron mixed with common clay, they will combine with one another in the seed of men; but they will not adhere to one another, even as iron does not combine with pottery.
(Dan. 7:7-8) 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. 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.
(Dan. 7:24) As for the ten horns, 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.
While the first part of this vision is the original Roman Empire (Rome 1), there are a number of reasons for seeing a prophetic gap here (flashing forward to Rome 11). That is, this section (Dan. 2:41-43) refers to a later reforming of the Roman Empire at the end of human history. A number of observations point toward this conclusion:
First, there is an anatomical distinction.Verse 40 refers to the legs, while verses 41-43 refer to the feet and toes.
Second, there is a composition distinction.The legs are composed entirely of iron (v.40), while the feet are composed of iron and clay (vv.41-43).
Third, there is unfulfilled language. In verse 44, we read, “In the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which will never be destroyed, and that kingdom will not be left for another people; it will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms, but it will itself endure forever.” The original Roman Empire had one king—not many (“kings”). Apparently, these ten toes are actually ten kings. Moreover, Daniel 7:7 refers to ten horns in the Roman Empire. These ten horns refer to ten kings or kingdoms. Verse 24 explicitly states: “As for the ten horns, out of this kingdom ten kings will arise.” Ten kingdoms never came out of the first Rome—nor did ten kings. This must still be in the future.
Fourth, this correlates with Revelation 13 and 17, which is also about the end of human history. John writes, “I saw a beast coming up out of the sea, having ten horns” (Rev. 13:1). He later explains, “The ten horns which you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom” (Rev. 17:12; c.f. Ps. 132:17; Zech. 1:18-19). These kings give birth to the Antichrist, which hasn’t happened yet (“not yet received a kingdom”). John explains,
“Here is the mind which has wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits, 10 and they are seven kings; five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come; and when he comes, he must remain a little while. 11 The beast which was and is not, is himself also an eighth and is one of the seven, and he goes to destruction” (Rev. 17:9-11).
There will be a future Roman Empire that fulfills this prediction completely. The “five fallen” kings are Egypt, Assyria, Babylonia, Persia, and Greece (at the time this passage was written; AD 90). The king that “now is” is Rome in the first-century (AD 90). Finally, John explains that the other “has not yet come,” which must refer to the future Roman Empire. Thus the eighth king (v.11) must be the antichrist coming out of that final kingdom.
Fifth, prophetic gaps typically occur over the church age. For instance, in Luke 4:19-20, Jesus read from Isaiah 61:1-2 and stopped reading halfway through a Hebrew couplet to show that the first part of the verse was fulfilled—but the second part hadn’t yet. This gap in Isaiah 61 occurs between the first and second coming of Christ. If there is a prophetic gap in this passage, it would similarly skip the church age, which was a mystery in the OT (Mt. 13:11).
The Stone That Becomes a Mountain (Dan. 2:44): GOD’S KINGDOM
(Dan. 2:44) In the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which will never be destroyed, and that kingdom will not be left for another people; it will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms, but it will itself endure forever.
Daniel explains this final kingdom with clarity. God will eventually set up his kingdom on Earth.
Does this refer to the Church Age or the Millennial Kingdom?
Some interpreters believe that this refers to the church age. That is, God’s church has outlasted all of these kingdoms and has destroyed them in a passive way. However, there are a number of reasons for believing that this refers to the millennial kingdom of Christ—not the church age:
First, this doesn’t fit with the language. The quiet entrance of the gospel into the world doesn’t fit with this language of smashing and crushing these other kingdoms. Jesus is going to return with force—not gentleness (Mt. 24:29-31; Rev 19:11-21). At this point, people will not have the privilege of choosing him by faith; instead, they will be forced to bow down before him as the king (Phil. 2:10-11).
Second, no coalition of kings was reigning when Christ first came on Earth. This passage speaks of taking place “in the days of those kings.” Since this doesn’t fit with Jesus’ first coming, we should expect this to refer to the future.
Third, since the earlier kingdoms were physical, we should expect God’s kingdom to be physical. Babylon, Media-Persia, Greece, and Rome were all physical and literal kingdoms. Therefore, we shouldn’t expect the final kingdom of God to be any different.
Fourth, Daniel usually speaks of Christ’s second coming—not his first. In the context of these visions, we read, “I kept looking in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven one like a Son of Man was coming, and He came up to the Ancient of Days and was presented before Him. 14 And to Him was given dominion, glory and a kingdom, that all the peoples, nations and men of every language might serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion which will not pass away; and His kingdom is one which will not be destroyed” (Dan. 7:13-14). Of course, this clearly speaks of Jesus’ second coming—not his first.
1. Head of Gold (Winged Lion): BABYLONIA (Dan. 2:38; 7:4).
(Dan. 2:38) Wherever the sons of men dwell, or the beasts of the field, or the birds of the sky, He has given them into your hand and has caused you to rule over them all. You [Nebuchadnezzar] are the head of gold.
(Dan. 7:4) 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.
Daniel makes no mention of Babylonia in chapter 8, because it was already deposed as an empire at this point (Dan. 8:1). However, in chapter 2, Daniel clearly equates the head of gold with Babylon (2:38). Other symbols support this interpretation:
“Like a lion and had the wings of an eagle” Jeremiah symbolized Nebuchadnezzar as a lion (Jer. 4:7; 49:19, 22; 50:17, 44) and various prophets characterized him as an eagle (Jer. 49:22; Lam. 4:19; Ezek. 17:3; Hab. 1:8). Moreover, winged lions guarded the gates of the royal palaces. Archer writes, “The lion symbol was characteristic of Babylon, especially in Nebuchadnezzar’s time, when the Ishtar Gate entrance was adorned on either side with a long procession of yellow lions on blue-glazed brick, fashioned in high relief.”[3]
“A human mind also was given to it” This expression refers to Nebuchadnezzar getting his sanity back after God took it from him (Dan. 4:28-37) for seven years (Dan. 4:16).
Nebuchadnezzar’s reign ended in 562 BC—several decades after this prophecy was given. Several kings reigned after him, but they were ultimately defeated by the Persians in 539 BC. Thus Daniel predicted the first world empire as Babylonia.
2. Breast and Arms of Silver (Bear; Ram): MEDIA-PERSIA (Dan. 2:39a; 7:5; 8:3, 20)
(Dan. 2:39a) After you there will arise another kingdom inferior to you…
(Dan. 7:5) 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!’
(Dan. 8:3, 20) Then I lifted my eyes and looked, and behold, a ram which had two horns was standing in front of the canal. Now the two horns were long, but one was longer than the other, with the longer one coming up last… 20 The ram which you saw with the two horns represents the kings of Media and Persia.
Daniel doesn’t explicitly name this kingdom in chapter 2; however in his second and third vision, Daniel specifically identifies this empire with Media-Persia (Dan. 8:20). Historically, Media-Persia ruled from 539 to 331 BC. Archer writes, “Alexander the Great… began his invasion of Persia in 334, [and] crushed its last resistance in 331.”[4]
“There will arise another kingdom inferior to you” Daniel refers to this second kingdom as “inferior” to Babylon (Dan. 2:39a). He must not be thinking in terms of its conquering ability. Media-Persia conquered more land than Babylon. He must be thinking in terms of moral quality, in the same way that silver is worse than gold in quality.
“Raised up on one side” This most likely refers to the Persians over the Medes. The Persians came up last, but were greater and absorbed the Medes. Moreover, the vision of the “ram” in 8:3 states that one horn was longer than another, fitting with this interpretation of chapter 7.
“Three ribs were in its mouth” This most likely refers to the people that the Media-Persians subdued: the Babylonians (539 B.C.), Lydians (546 B.C.), and Egyptians (525 B.C.).
“A ram which had two horns” In Daniel 8, Daniel sees a ram (v.3) which represents Media-Persia (v.20). Miller comments “A ram was a fitting symbol of the empire… the Persian ruler carried the gold head of a ram when he marched before his army.”[5]
Thus Daniel specifically identifies the second major empire with Media-Persia.
3. Belly and Thighs of Bronze (Four-Winged Leopard; Shaggy Goat): GREECE (Dan. 2:39b; 7:6; 8:21-22)
(Dan. 2:39b) …Then another third kingdom of bronze, which will rule over all the earth.
(Dan. 7:6) 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.
(Dan. 8:21-22) The shaggy goat represents the kingdom of Greece22The four horns that replaced the one that was broken off represent four kingdoms that will emerge from his nation but will not have the same power.
Daniel clearly explains this kingdom as Greece, and this surely refers to Alexander the Great. Historically, the Grecian Empire ruled from 333 to 63 BC. While this beast isn’t as powerful as the others, it is far faster. This would fit with Daniel’s understanding of the beast as a leopard, which is known for its speed—not strength. Alexander conquered the known world an alarming speed—within 10-15 years.
“Which will rule over all the earth” This language refers to scope of Alexander’s conquering. Alexander the Great conquered most of the known world (from Macedonia to India).
“The four horns that replaced the one that was broken off represent four kingdoms that will emerge from his nation but will not have the same power” Alexander the Great didn’t have an heir to take over the empire. Actually, he had two sons (Alexander IV and Herakles), but they were quickly murdered. Thus the four heads refer to the four generals who divided his kingdom after his premature death in 323 BC (c.f. Dan. 8:8). His generals were (1) Antipater in Macedon-Greece, (2) Lysimachus in Thrace-Asia Minor, (3) Seleucus in Asia, and (4) Ptolemy in Egypt, Cyrenaica, and Palestine.[6]
4-1. Legs of Iron—Feet of Iron and Clay (10 horned beast with iron Teeth): ROME (Dan. 2:40)
(Dan. 2:40) Then there will be a fourth kingdom as strong as iron; inasmuch as iron crushes and shatters all things, so, like iron that breaks in pieces, it will crush and break all these in pieces.
(Dan. 7:7) 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 specifies this following kingdom as a solitary one (“it”), and he also speaks of it being more vicious than the earlier kingdoms. He connects the visions of chapters 2 and 7 by mentioning iron toes/teeth and ten toes/horns. Moreover, both empires are mentioned last on the list.
Why doesn’t Daniel name this empire specifically as Rome?
Students of Scripture often ask why Daniel doesn’t explicitly name this empire as Rome. Daniel wrote his book in 530 B.C. Therefore, if he named Rome by name here, he would be mentioning an empire that didn’t even exist yet. This is probably why Daniel can’t even describe the beast itself, using language like “dreadful and terrifying and extremely strong,” rather than giving it a name like the others (e.g. lion, bear, ram, etc.).
Moreover, Daniel’s descriptions surely match with the Roman Empire. Miller writes, “The Roman Empire dominated the world from the defeat of Carthage in 146 B.C. to the division of the East and West empires in A.D. 395, approximately five hundred years.”[7] Both Josephus and 2 Esdras (12:10–51) believed the fourth empire was Rome. Miller writes, “Only in modern times did the opinion that Greece was the fourth empire become widespread.”[8]
Is the fourth beast Greece?
Some critical scholars try to end the world kingdoms with Antiochus in 167 BC, splitting Media-Persia into two successive kingdoms. But Daniel clearly speaks of these as one empire—not two (Dan. 6:8, 15; 8:20).
Other critical scholars argue that the fourth beast is the successor of Alexander the Great. However, Archer argues, “Such an identification of the fourth empire can hardly be reconciled with the description of the fourth kingdom (cf. 7:7) as greater and stronger than the third. Could one segment of Alexander’s empire be considered more extensive than his entire realm? Or could its power be considered more formidable than that of Alexander himself—Alexander who never lost a battle? This theory cannot be taken seriously.”[9]
For these reasons, we hold that the fourth beast must be Rome.
4-2. Legs of Iron—Feet of Iron and Clay (Ten Horns): ROME II (Dan. 2:41-43)
(Dan. 2:41-43) In that you saw the feet and toes, partly of potter’s clay and partly of iron, it will be a divided kingdom; but it will have in it the toughness of iron, inasmuch as you saw the iron mixed with common clay. 42 As the toes of the feet were partly of iron and partly of pottery, so some of the kingdom will be strong and part of it will be brittle. 43 And in that you saw the iron mixed with common clay, they will combine with one another in the seed of men; but they will not adhere to one another, even as iron does not combine with pottery.
(Dan. 7:7-8) 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. 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.
(Dan. 7:24) As for the ten horns, 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.
While the first part of this vision is the original Roman Empire (Rome 1), there are a number of reasons for seeing a prophetic gap here (flashing forward to Rome 11). That is, this section (Dan. 2:41-43) refers to a later reforming of the Roman Empire at the end of human history. A number of observations point toward this conclusion:
First, there is an anatomical distinction.Verse 40 refers to the legs, while verses 41-43 refer to the feet and toes.
Second, there is a composition distinction.The legs are composed entirely of iron (v.40), while the feet are composed of iron and clay (vv.41-43).
Third, there is unfulfilled language. In verse 44, we read, “In the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which will never be destroyed, and that kingdom will not be left for another people; it will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms, but it will itself endure forever.” The original Roman Empire had one king—not many (“kings”). Apparently, these ten toes are actually ten kings. Moreover, Daniel 7:7 refers to ten horns in the Roman Empire. These ten horns refer to ten kings or kingdoms. Verse 24 explicitly states: “As for the ten horns, out of this kingdom ten kings will arise.” Ten kingdoms never came out of the first Rome—nor did ten kings. This must still be in the future.
Fourth, this correlates with Revelation 13 and 17, which is also about the end of human history. John writes, “I saw a beast coming up out of the sea, having ten horns” (Rev. 13:1). He later explains, “The ten horns which you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom” (Rev. 17:12; c.f. Ps. 132:17; Zech. 1:18-19). These kings give birth to the Antichrist, which hasn’t happened yet (“not yet received a kingdom”). John explains,
“Here is the mind which has wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits, 10 and they are seven kings; five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come; and when he comes, he must remain a little while. 11 The beast which was and is not, is himself also an eighth and is one of the seven, and he goes to destruction” (Rev. 17:9-11).
There will be a future Roman Empire that fulfills this prediction completely. The “five fallen” kings are Egypt, Assyria, Babylonia, Persia, and Greece (at the time this passage was written; AD 90). The king that “now is” is Rome in the first-century (AD 90). Finally, John explains that the other “has not yet come,” which must refer to the future Roman Empire. Thus the eighth king (v.11) must be the antichrist coming out of that final kingdom.
Fifth, prophetic gaps typically occur over the church age. For instance, in Luke 4:19-20, Jesus read from Isaiah 61:1-2 and stopped reading halfway through a Hebrew couplet to show that the first part of the verse was fulfilled—but the second part hadn’t yet. This gap in Isaiah 61 occurs between the first and second coming of Christ. If there is a prophetic gap in this passage, it would similarly skip the church age, which was a mystery in the OT (Mt. 13:11).
The Stone That Becomes a Mountain (Dan. 2:44): GOD’S KINGDOM
(Dan. 2:44) In the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which will never be destroyed, and that kingdom will not be left for another people; it will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms, but it will itself endure forever.
Daniel explains this final kingdom with clarity. God will eventually set up his kingdom on Earth.
Does this refer to the Church Age or the Millennial Kingdom?
Some interpreters believe that this refers to the church age. That is, God’s church has outlasted all of these kingdoms and has destroyed them in a passive way. However, there are a number of reasons for believing that this refers to the millennial kingdom of Christ—not the church age:
First, this doesn’t fit with the language. The quiet entrance of the gospel into the world doesn’t fit with this language of smashing and crushing these other kingdoms. Jesus is going to return with force—not gentleness (Mt. 24:29-31; Rev 19:11-21). At this point, people will not have the privilege of choosing him by faith; instead, they will be forced to bow down before him as the king (Phil. 2:10-11).
Second, no coalition of kings was reigning when Christ first came on Earth. This passage speaks of taking place “in the days of those kings.” Since this doesn’t fit with Jesus’ first coming, we should expect this to refer to the future.
Third, since the earlier kingdoms were physical, we should expect God’s kingdom to be physical. Babylon, Media-Persia, Greece, and Rome were all physical and literal kingdoms. Therefore, we shouldn’t expect the final kingdom of God to be any different.
Fourth, Daniel usually speaks of Christ’s second coming—not his first. In the context of these visions, we read, “I kept looking in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven one like a Son of Man was coming, and He came up to the Ancient of Days and was presented before Him. 14 And to Him was given dominion, glory and a kingdom, that all the peoples, nations and men of every language might serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion which will not pass away; and His kingdom is one which will not be destroyed” (Dan. 7:13-14). Of course, this clearly speaks of Jesus’ second coming—not his first.
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