Episode 31 focuses on Daniel’s dream of the four great beasts and notes its correspondence with Nebuchadnezzar’s dream of the great image. It introduces the antichrist and reveals his fate.

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Transcript
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The Future of the Teachings of Jesus
20. Daniel 7–The Four Great Beasts­ and the Antichrist
The Fate of the Antichrist and the Everlasting Rule of God (Ep. 31)

     Correspondence of Daniel’ s and Nebuchadnezzar’s dreams. Around 553 B C, some 50 years after he interpreted Nebuchadnezzar’s dream of the great image, Daniel had a prophetic dream and vision of the future that closely parallels the elements and conclusions of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream. The fact that each of these two visions share the same basic elements and the same positive and hopeful conclusions tends to verify their trustworthiness and truth value.

Daniel’s dream of the four great beasts. Daniel describes his dream of the four great beasts in the following way:

2I saw in my vision by night…. 3And four great beasts came up out of the sea, different from one another. 4The first was like a lion and had eagles wings…. 5And behold, another beast, a second one, like a bear. It was raised up on one side….. and it was told, “Arise; devour much flesh.” 6After this I looked, and lo, another, like a leopard, with four wings of a bird on its back; and the beast had four heads; and dominion was given to it. 7After this I saw in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, terrible and dreadful and exceedingly strong and it had great iron teeth…. It was different from all the beasts that were before it and it had 10 horns. (Dan 7: 2-7)

The four great empires and the future evolution of Rome is depicted in both dreams. With the perspective of history, we may identify the four beasts of Daniel’s dream with the four great empires depicted in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream. These empires, which followed one another in an unbroken historical sequence, were identified as Babylon, Persia, Greece, and Rome. The winged lion, or lamassu, is a common Babylonian motif and stands for the Babylonian empire. The bear raised up on one side is the Medo-Persian Empire, within which Persia was stronger and more exalted. The four-headed and four-winged leopard stands for the Greek empire under Alexander the Great and his swift conquest of most of the known world. The four heads on the leopard represent the four-fold division of Alexander’s empire by four generals after Alexander’s death in 323 BC. The fourth beast had great iron teeth which recall the iron weapons and iron rule of the Roman empire. The ten horns on the head of the beast represent the division and future evolution of the Western Roman empire into the modern nation-states of Western Europe.

The ten horns and the little horn. Daniel continues the description of the dream focusing on the ten horns. He states:

                  8I considered the horns, and behold, there came up among them another horn, a little one, before which three of the first horns were plucked up by the roots; and behold in this horn were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking great things. (Dan. 7: 8)

Daniel is given the interpretation of the ten horns and the little horn. Daniel then seeks the interpretation of the fourth beast, the ten horns, and the little horn. He is told:

                  23As for the fourth beast, there shall be a fourth kingdom on earth, which shall be different from all the kingdoms, and it shall devour the whole earth…. 24As for the ten horns, out of this kingdom ten kings shall arise, and another shall arise after them; he shall be different from the former ones, and he shall put down three kings. (Dan. 7:23, 24)

Further explanation. The fourth beast, Rome, was indeed different from all the previous empires; it was far more powerful, lasted much longer, and at its height, encompassed most of the Western world, the entire Mediterranean basin. The ten horns which grew out of the beast’s head represent ten modern nations that grew out of the Western Roman empire. The dream indicates that in the time of these ten rulers a new ruler shall arise; he will be small at first but nevertheless shall come to power and put down three of the ten kings in the process.

         Who is this little horn? Who is this little horn who is small at first, but speaks great things, and comes to power in Europe by putting down three rulers? He is in fact the one who will later be referred to by New Testament writers as “the antichrist.” Daniel, Chapter 7 provides us with the first mention and extensive description of this figure.

The nature and actions of the” little horn.” In Daniel’s dream the nature and actions of the little horn antichrist is further revealed. Daniel describes him as follows:

[It] 20seemed greater than its fellows. 25He shall speak words against the Most High, and shall wear out the saints of the Most High, and he shall think to change the times and the law; and they shall be given into his hand for a time, two times, and half a time [that is, three and one-half years]. (Dan. 7: 23-25)

Interpretation. These predictions indicate that when the little horn comes to power he will institute a dictatorial and totalitarian world order. He will attack and make war against the saints of the Most High; and for a time, he shall be successful. He will rule over the “saints” for three-and one-half years.

The little horn comes to judgment. But, as in Daniel Chapter 2 the little horn’s time of unjust power and imperialistic rule over others will come to an end. Daniel describes the final fate of the little horn in this way:

                  11I looked then because of the sound of the great words which the horn was speaking. As I looked, the beast was slain, and its body destroyed and given over to be burned with fire.” (Dan. 7:11)

This end of the little horn’s rule and what follows is described in greater detail later in the dream:

                  26the court shall sit in judgment, and his dominion shall be taken away, to be consumed and destroyed to the end, 27And the kingdom and the dominion and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High; their kingdom shall be an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey them.” (Dan. 7: 26-27)

The three great conclusions of Daniel 2 and 7. Thus, we see that Daniel’s dream concludes with the same great good news that we find in Daniel’s interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream. First, the secular, imperialistic, and totalitarian rule of men over one another will be destroyed forever. Second, this evil and unjust rule of men will be replaced by the coming of the kingdom of God to rule over the nations. And third, we are now living in the time directly preceding these great events; we are living in the time of the ten kings, the ten modern European nations represented by the ten horns.

Summary. In summary, after a time of great tribulation, the imperialistic and evil rule of men over one another will come to an end. When the world has filled its cup of evil to the full, a powerful secular dictator will arise and conquer many. But God will intervene in earthly affairs and render judgment. With God’s help the little horn antichrist will be destroyed. The kingdom of God will then begin its rule over the “dominions of men” and this kingdom “shall be an everlasting dominion.”

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