Vision of the End: The Four Beasts

[Raskolynikov]

Daniel's Vision of the Four Beasts (Daniel 7:1-8)

1 In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon Daniel had a dream and visions of his head upon his bed: then he wrote the dream, and told the sum of the matters. 2 Daniel spake and said, I saw in my vision by night, and, behold, the four winds of the heaven strove upon the great sea. 3 And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another. 4 The first was like a lion, and had eagle's wings: I beheld till the wings thereof were plucked, and it was lifted up from the earth, and made stand upon the feet as a man, and a man's heart was given to it. 5 And behold another beast, a second, like to a bear, and it raised up itself on one side, and it had three ribs in the mouth of it between the teeth of it: and they said thus unto it, Arise, devour much flesh. 6 After this I beheld, and lo another, like a leopard, which had upon the back of it four wings of a fowl; the beast had also four heads; and dominion was given to it. 7 After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns. 8 I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things.

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(The interpretation of Daniel's vision of the four beasts is deeply mystical and mysterious. Here is one of the interpretations I came across years ago and it held the test of time.)

The first beast appears to be the Anglo-Saxon kingdom: it has the lion, the symbol of Great Britain and the eagle's wings, the symbol of the United States. The fowls may also mean the US air domination over the world.

Note that the first beast was given the human heart and stood up on its feet like a man. This may be the symbol of the rising of men from servitude to kings who ruled with sheer power to the democracy that is in an ideal case an example of the rule of the law. We know that the most recent start of democracy was the insurrection of the United States and the declaration of independence from the United Kingdom. This interpretation makes a lot of sense.

The second beast is described as a leopard with four wings of fowl. This may have indicated German precision and the Blitzkrieg speed of strike. Four wings also indicate air domination at a certain time over the four winds of the earth.

The third beast is described as bear. Bears are very cruel animals (not the Teddy Bear, who was my childhood friend :-) ...). A bear will sometimes kill cubs that are not his own in order to make a female mate with him. What an attempt to attract attention and seduction?

The bear is traditionally the symbol of Russia, and this is not a secret, from the Tsardom ages (about more than 1200 years).

The bear has three ribs in his teeth (three Baltic states?) and had been ordered to "devour much flesh". This is a commandment from the elders that bear should exercise his dominion and conquer in a brutal fashion.

The fourth beast, however, is different that the three beasts: it has claws of bronze, teeth of iron, but another significant feature: it destroyed like three other beasts, but it trampled underfoot whatever it could not devour. It is like the wolf that enters the corral and then slays more sheep to death than it can possibly eat, for the sole ecstasy in killing).

This is what we can see in modern warfare, unlike the previous centuries or even the Nazi Germany. This might seem blasphemous, but it occurred to me that Hitler's generals, though the London was bombarded, spared Rome nad Paris virtually intact, much like many European cities which were not the site of battlefield (in Russia, I know, it was much worse: the suffering of Moscow and then Leningrad and Stalingrad I am not worthy to speak about, I will leave that to the historians).

But in Hitler's generals there was enough chivalry to leave the old Europe virtually intact where they could. (Even when German cities already were not speared by Ally bombing.)

This is not the case with Vukovar, Sarajevo, Rwanda, Iraq, Afghanistan, Lybia, Syria, Kharkiv, and almost Kyiv. The skyscrapers are pierced with many shells and artillery, the cities are bombarded, civilians not spared, but called despicably as "collateral damage". Because their colour of skin is slightly less white (but they are not even black in complexion - or African).

Also, a third of the food produced in the world is thrown while 800 million people are starving and 24,000 are dying daily from starvation. But mostly the "coloured", so this is not a concern.

The originators of the "fourth beast order" are already determined to decrease earth's population by murdering 9 out of 10 people currently living. And to seize the world's resources under one currency (which they would also print) and one world government.

One of the features of the fourth beast is the little horn that spaketh blasphemies against God, the Law and the saints. It's marks are the "sexual reproductive rights" (read: contraception and abortion), gender rights (read: homosexual marriages and change of sex by surgery on tax payer's expense) and many other nowadays blasphemies, which amount to psychiatry and psychology as the authority instead of faith and the church, denial of existence of God, Jesus, angel, spirit, mind or anything non-corporeal, immaterial and spiritual as nonsense, sign of mental illness (hearing from God is "hearing voices") or a mocked quack non-scientific fallacy.

What is the destiny of the fourth beast?

Daniel 7:11-12
11 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. 12 As concerning the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away: yet their lives were prolonged for a season and time.

Because of the great destruction caused globally by the fourth beast, it shall be destroyed and devoured by fire. But this is not the actual United States, United Kingdom, Europe, Germany nor Russia, because "their lives are prolonged for a season and time". This may mean that good was found in all these kingdoms (preserving Gospel at least, so the souls can be saved), and they will outlast the great tribulation, if the interpretation is correct. (It is subject to verification by theologians and time.)

Daniel 7:23-27
23 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. 24 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. 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. 26 But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end. 27 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.

In the final end, the Kingdom of Heaven will have the eventual dominion over all the earth, and by that time no one will regret old and inevitably corrupt states and kingdoms, even if they are the best attempt at human government. Because better will come: The Lamb of God that will come to save Zion and the best part of mankind from extinction in Armageddon.

But this is the matter for another meditation.

in the Lord
Amen

[Raskolynikov]

Did this text cause you to doubt whether you are on the right side for the final battle of good and evil?

To be on the safe side, call Jesus to be your Saviour and Messiah now. Pray a simple prayer with me:

Dear God Creator of the Worlds and the Universe,
I regret my sins, wrongs and evil I did. I deny Satan and the evil system of this world and please be my Lord and Saviour.
Help me find the fellowship of people who love You sincerely and bring me on the path of salvation, not on the path of those who seek evil or are seduced to wrong ways.
in Jesus name
Amen

Salvation is by faith and grace. So, no one can steal ten million dollars, give five to the church and expect to save his soul on behalf of that.
But good deeds without expecting anything in return will not hurt salvation either. Did you feed the hungry? Deliver someone who was bullied or oppressed?
Help those in debt slaver? Save someone who was condemned to death penalty or held captive or prisoner or war?

All these deeds are recognised by both the Old Testament prophets and Jesus in Matthew 25:40.
You will not make mistake by doing any of these.

Be blessed and may God keep your safe and saved!

in the Lord
Amen